


Gradually they open up to each other and reveal their secrets, for example, Allison is a compulsive liar, and Brian and Claire are ashamed of their virginity and Andy got in trouble because of his overbearing father. They pass the hours in a variety of ways: they dance, harass each other, tell stories, fight, smoke marijuana, and talk about a variety of subjects. In a rage, Bender runs off and sits alone, hurt by what he revealed to the group. During lunch, he jovially mocks Brian's home life and then offers everyone a glimpse into his relationship with his own father whom abuses him both verbally and physically. He acts as though he'll urinate on the floor, suggests that he and Andrew close the library door and have forced sex with Claire, challenges Andrew's athletic prowess and rigs the main door to the library so that it can't be braced open so Vernon can keep an eye on them from his office. The seeming delinquent of the group, Bender, is instantly hostile toward his classmates, acting out several times. Vernon, gives them all an assignment they will write an essay about "who you think you are" and the violations they committed to end up in Saturday detention. While not complete strangers, the five are all from different cliques or social groups: John Bender (Judd Nelson) "The Criminal" Claire Standish (Molly Ringwald) "The Princess" Brian Johnson (Anthony Michael Hall) "The Brain" Andy Clark (Emilio Estévez) "The Athlete" and Allison Reynolds (Ally Sheedy) "The Basket Case". The plot follows five students at fictional Shermer High School in the widely used John Hughes setting of Shermer, Illinois (a fictitious suburb of Chicago based on Hughes' hometown of Northbrook, Illinois), as they report for Saturday detention on March 24, 1984.The synopsis below may give away important plot points. But based on their adventures during that nine hours, they may come to a different opinion of themselves and the other four. At the beginning of those nine hours, each, if they were indeed planning on writing that essay, would probably write something close to what the world sees of them, and what they have been brainwashed into believing of themselves.


Each is required to write a minimum one thousand word essay during that time about who they think they are. Vernon, supervising from his office across the hall. But one other thing they do have in common is a nine hour detention in the school library together on Saturday, March 24, 1984, under the direction of Mr. In the simplest and in their own terms, Claire is a princess, Andrew an athlete, John a criminal, Brian a brain, and Allison a basket case. Five high school students meet in Saturday detention and discover how they have a lot more in common than they thought.īeyond being in the same class at Shermer High School in Shermer, Illinois, Claire Standish, Andrew Clark, John Bender, Brian Johnson and Allison Reynolds have little in common, and with the exception of Claire and Andrew, do not associate with each other in school.
