We live in an age of reboots and an unparalleled re-fascination with the 1980s.
2016-2018 saw a reboot of Stephen King's It, which invoked a John Hughes film gone wrong vibe as it followed the gang called "The Losers" battle the evil Pennywise the Dancing Clown; as well as the inception of Stranger Things, a Netflix series that takes place in Indiana, also in the 1980s. And now that we've had our fill of 80s horror...where is our John Hughes?
Well, it may not be such a good idea after all.
Molly Ringwald, the star of most of the John Hughes canon, has spoken out against rebooting any of the films in the franchise-specifically The Breakfast Club.
"You can't reboot the John Hughes movies," Ringwald said. "He doesn't want it to be done and I don't think it should be done."
Molly Ringwald is against a Breakfast Club reboot https://t.co/P5GpIWTxR6— Entertainment Weekly (@Entertainment Weekly) 1548532543
@EW Same. Classics should remain untouched. Only John Hughes could deliver. https://t.co/FNbcjjvnEb— Kristina anderson (@Kristina anderson) 1548532760
@EW Why would they want to ruin a classic? Make NEW movies leave the classics alone.— Kurama🦊🔥 (@Kurama🦊🔥) 1548533209
@EW anyone with taste should be against it— syd saw the batman (@syd saw the batman) 1548532716
Ringwald was deeply unsettled when rewatching the film with her daughter.
During a scene in which Judd Nelson's character John Bender joins Claire under the table, "he takes the opportunity to peek under Claire's skirt and, though the audience doesn't see, it is implied that he touches her inappropriately."
Ringwald found herself unable to shake an icky feeling from that moment:
"I kept thinking about that scene. I thought about it again this past fall, after a number of women came forward with sexual-assault accusations against the producer Harvey Weinstein, and the #MeToo movement gathered steam. If attitudes toward female subjugation are systemic, and I believe that they are, it stands to reason that the art we consume and sanction plays some part in reinforcing those same attitudes. I made three movies with John Hughes; when they were released, they made enough of a cultural impact to land me on the cover of Time magazine and to get Hughes hailed as a genius. His critical reputation has only grown since he died, in 2009, at the age of fifty-nine."
@EW I agree. The movie was so of the moment, it can’t be remade.— Keith Chandler (@Keith Chandler) 1548542869
@EW Don't touch anything created by John Hughes.— Joseph Jackson (@Joseph Jackson) 1548537831
@EW Agree , you can not reproduce that kind of dynamic event in History , Hollywood or Whomever they get will Butch… https://t.co/cFvBLmfVsR— Constantine (@Constantine) 1548609069
@EW We all are...— TVTodd 📺🌎🇺🇸 (@TVTodd 📺🌎🇺🇸) 1548532732
"Hughes's films play constantly on television and are even taught in schools. There is still so much that I love in them, but lately I have felt the need to examine the role that these movies have played in our cultural life: where they came from, and what they might mean now," Ringwald continued.
"When my daughter proposed watching "The Breakfast Club" together, I had hesitated, not knowing how she would react: if she would understand the film or if she would even like it. I worried that she would find aspects of it troubling, but I hadn't anticipated that it would ultimately be most troubling to me."
@EW i agree, this was an 80s thing you know like disco.— kenneth minear (@kenneth minear) 1548605967
But Ringwald doesn't hate The Breakfast Club.
"I really loved those movies and by no means do I want to turn my back on them, but I would like it for people to take the good from that and are inspired by that to make something that is relevant to what's going on today because the world is a different place."
@EW Yes!!! Leave it alone— Sandra J 🦋 (@Sandra J 🦋) 1548547389
@EW Agreed. TBC is a classic.— KristyTheGossipGirl (@KristyTheGossipGirl) 1548547321
@EW Rightly so. Some things you H A V E to leave alone. Ya just have to 🤷🏼♀️— Jolene Painter (@Jolene Painter) 1548543026
@EW Leave it alone, writers need to quit making a buck riding on the coat tails of great classics and begin to form an independent idea— LAH (@LAH) 1548535499
If you were hopeful that a potential The Breakfast Club reboot might have a ripple effect and bring the rest of the John Hughes canon back to life, sorry!
It looks like you'll just have to dig out those old 80s chestnuts and enjoy them the way they're meant to be enjoyed.
Siblings Surprise Mom For New Year's Eve, Hits The Internet In The Feels
Alright guys, it's a week into 2019. Time for a check-in and a feel-good story to boost your vibes.
It's been a rough week, guys. The government is still shut down, everybody is mad at R. Kelly again - which means his sales are up, and you already forgot about that squat challenge. Awards shows are fun - Christian Bale thanked Satan in his acceptance speech and Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan got into a fist fight not over the Wakandan throne. We've packed up the holiday season and it's back to business as usual. The come-down off this holiday high is a rough one and we could all use a boost in the warm fuzzies.
I got you, fam. What's warmer and fuzzier than a pair of siblings ditching a New Year's Eve party to go surprise their mom who was stuck at work? I mean, I could throw in some cute kitties, but that might be overwhelming and I know half of you are reading this when you're supposed to be working, so I'm trying not to blow your spot. Play it cool, Sharon. Play it cool.
Molly Ringwald And Ally Sheedy Welcome Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez To 'The Breakfast Club' After Viral Video
So, if you haven't heard, Republicans found a new reason to disparage Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the young Democratic Socialist congresswoman representing New York's 14th congressional district.
Videos surfaced of Ocasio-Cortez dancing on a rooftop in Boston, the city of her alma mater, Boston University.
However, they neglected to mention one major part of the dance featured in the video.
Does it look familiar to you?
Here is the full video in question:
Phoenix - Lisztomania - Boston University Brat Pack Mashupwww.youtube.com
Does the dancing look familiar?
That's because it's a reimagining of the iconic scene from The Breakfast Clubwhere the kids dance all over the library.
Here's the original version from the 1985 John Hughes film that made stars of Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez and Hughes' muse, Molly Ringwald.
The Breakfast Club Dance Scenewww.youtube.com
The Breakfast Club celebrated their 30th anniversary in 2015 with a special edition of the film, available here.
So not only was the video completely non-offensive, but according to Uproxx, it was actually created FOR Boston University.
"As it turns out, the video was actually created for Boston University's Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground, which provides 'programs, events and experiences to students designed to encourage creative exchange of ideas, thoughts, beliefs and opinions.'"
Whoops.
Strike three, Republicans.
Ocasio-Cortez struck back by posting a video of her on Capitol Hill....dancing.
It wasn't long before some stars of The Breakfast Club caught on to Ocasio-Cortez's video.
Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy both tweeted their support for the Congresswoman's sweet moves.
The tweets from the founding members of The Breakfast Club are inspiring the internet a little today.
After all, is admission into The Breakfast Club ever really closed?
Wow...The Breakfast Club is turning 34 this year.
Does anybody else feel old?
It seems like this attempt on AOC's credibility only made her more popular among both Gen X and Millennials. Sorry, for those of you trying to bring her down.