Film: The Class
Starring: Anthony Michael Hall, Debbie Gibson, Lyric Ross, Charlie Gillespie, Hannah Kepple, Colin McCalla, Juliette Celozz, Michael Sebastian
Director: Nicholas Celozzi
Review: Klep Napier
Rating: 2.5X’s out of 5X’s
‘The Class’ takes a humble budget swing at reimagining the magic of the John Hughes classic The Breakfast Club, yet still manages to hit all the right beats in modern times. Sometimes hitting even harder than its predecessor.
Director Nicholas Celozzi takes on the enormous task of recreating a 80s classic with a minor spin when six high school students are forced to spend a entire Saturday in order to pass their class, they are tasked with an assignment that teaches them a little bit more about valuing themselves while channeling their adolescent emotions.
I have to be honest when I first read the synopsis I was immediately triggered to walk away from this. I mean, come on, we’re talking about recreating ‘The Breakfast Club’ in todays society. What it turns out, is that this is exactly what we needed today. Not just for our children, but for us adults as well.
The Class brings back Anthony Michal Hall, who is not reprising his role as Brian, but plays as “Faulk” the cynical disciplinary figure in the film. Hall is accompanied by optimist, Pop Star/Actress Debbie Gibson as the two continuously bump heads having two different styles when it comes to reaching these troubled teens. It’s fair to say the two are the perfect looking glass for any parent or teacher finding it impossible to reach young adults in todays climate.
The tone begins soft but then immediately takes a turn for the real as we peel back the layers of each character learning more about who they are and how they do or DON’T manage to cop with their personal issues. It’s at times extremely tear jerking.
Topics like communication, abortion, politics, sexuality, depression and self blame all take a front seat at some point. The film really hits the nail on the head about the stresses todays youth are dealing with and about how us as adults aren’t really leaning into the issues, but rather, how we teach kids to muscle their way through it all without explanation or simple conversation. The moral of the story here is —not the process of dealing but the process of healing.
Make no mistake, ‘The Class’ is NOT The Breakfast Club, nor is it trying to be. Though it has minor nods that you can respect, the only thing the two films have in common are that they are both very much about PEOPLE. The film overall is in a Class of its own with new lessons to teach.