The Breakfast Club | What Makes Allison Behave So Strange? (Analysis By Professional Therapist)
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- Опубліковано 15 вер 2024
- Allison (played by Ally Sheedy) is my favourite character from The Breakfast Club. This videoessay provides analysis for her character and the psychology behind Allison's behaviour. Her acting is fantastic in the film and she paints a great depiction of a girl not used to attention; both seeking and fearing connection at the same time. As a professional counsellor, I try to breakdown her character in the film through an analysis of the iconic "they ignore me" scene.
My Little Thought Tree is my channel for drawing out the deeper meaning and emotion in film, TV, and the world at large through relaxed, analytical video essays. I am a professional counsellor and often draw on my psychology and therapy background to better understand characters, themes, and emotion in fiction. I upload every Saturday and occasionally on Tuesdays, if I'm feeling productive.
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#breakfastclub #allison #psychology
![The Breakfast Club (1985) │ Allison Reynolds Being Chaotic Neutral [DPU HD]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/VM58O9FEf4Q/mqdefault.jpg)
“Why are you being nice to me?”
“Because you’re letting me” is powerful AF
Exactly. The concept of Trust explained in just two short lines. It's a precious thing and way too many don't even see it.
I cried.
Those are powerful words
@Fee Fee no face gang
@@KRAFTWERK2K6 people tend to focus on the makeover and hate on andy for needing that and the movie for doing that but they never mention the sweet moment between girls...in my mind allison takes the makeup off and dresses like before later on....she just wanted to be nice to claire for her work so she may be insecure about people not liking it like andy but she sucks it up endures the possible shame
I love how she dressed at the beginning of the movie 😭
I preferred it too
Agreed. She was hot in her gothic new romantic look
Yep, the Goth scene began in the '80s.
Yep. That is the only place that film let me down. The fact that she had to have that awful makeover to be considered.
I think a lot of people don’t get the makeover and have a shallow interpretation of it. This isn’t Sandy in Grease changing to be what the boy wants. This is for her. Everything she’s wearing is her own. Claire does the makeup which is a part of Claire’s development and journey to do something for others. But for Allison it’s about taking down her walls and defenses that she has to keep people out. She takes off the bulky black sweater and reveals she is more than the outsider basket case. She’s just a girl who wants to be accepted. And that she is ok. That is the makeover. Her coming out of her shell. The fact that SHE is the one to approach Andrew is just a bonus.
I’ve always felt like an Allison, and for me the bag scene wasn’t about scaring people but showing vulnerability. She holds her bag very close to her like she’s protecting it, trying to keep others from seeing her stuff and who she really is. When she dumps it out she’s trying to connect with others saying this is my stuff, this is who I am, let’s be friends. She’s become so vulnerable that any negative reaction is horrifyingly painful.
Agreed, she wants to open up but it's also very scary. She tries to pretend she doesn't care but she does.
I reckon all of us have some of Allison's side in us somewhere. I was just saying in another comment, it's been interesting to see from the comments on here, just how many people relate to her
i think it was definitely more brave than not,, but its like when you have so much defenses and so much fears and laser beams to step over,, its kinda like its too much,, and you kinda wing it.. you just blurt something out that might unintentionally or intentionally break a defense or two,, face a fear or two.. but she's definitely here much more vulnerable than defensive
I always thought that. She poured all her cards out onto the table. Her emotions and insecurities. Unconditionally and purposely opening up but hating herself for being too open. She just wanted attention and one to one contact. She just wanted a simple verbal response.
@@mylittlethoughttree
Ally Seedy is too good looking for the part. She would not be the wall flower basket case.
I think it may also be a first for her. I wonder how long she's been carrying around "might have to jam" bag in secret. It's like a month's supply of tampons, a few changes of underwear and a comb. This is a girl who doesn't wanna go home.
I noticed that bender never really took the mick out of her, he always seemed to leave her be. It might be because they both come from abusive households idk
There's an understanding among outcasts
Yea. Seemed Bender could have easily harassed Allison, her being an easy target, but Bender was more about messing with the kids who "had their stuff together"
I ALWAYS NOTICED THAT!!
And she kept her eye on him like taking the knife when he was heated up.
@@blazeswithwolvez7221
The “conformists”.
If you're terrified that people won't like you, you push them away, so that you understand why they don't like you. It's a vicious cycle of loneliness, but it seems better than the idea of real rejection
Yup! It's the slow, easy, let noticeable path to the hell of isolation.
Far easier than being rejected, and becoming an object of contempt and disgust and ridicule.
People end up in the hell they make themselves, more often than one from someone else.
It doesn't help that her own parents reject her. When you're loved in your home, you get more confidence outside the home. At least you'll have loving parents to fall back to. She didn't have that safety net.
That was my literal high school experience. It was horrible I'm lucky to be alive, honestly.
It's a tough battle. Rejection is inevitable but for some people like Allison (and myself) it can feel extremely painful and worse than physical pain. And that anxiety one feels while trying to please others while being super self-conscious often leads to awkwardness that repels people and feelings of "whelp that confirms I'm a crummy human once again..." Which is why drugs appeal to such people, it let's our guard down and much of that anxiety around pleasing others and being rejected is muted. We can existed more confidently and comfortably those short moments of being intoxicated.
@@ladyredl3210high ,school, worse time in my life.
I'm an 80s guy, and I have to say I actually identified more with Ally than any other character. I wasn't nerdy enough, violent enough, jock enough or pop enough to identify with anyone else. Great character, and great analysis.
Same, I was never quite a nerd but definitely a strange kid at school. In some ways, I think this video was a bit of a biography for me 😅 glad you enjoyed it though, thanks for the support and for letting me know, I genuinely appreciate it
Me too
Same
I relate more to allison as well.
@Karson Kalabo Yeah, I think "we" were the last generation ("Gen X", if you will.) were the last generation where our parents weren't our "friends" - Normally, this is OK, BUT....Boomers have always been "special" and ACTIVELY alienated us. I got along better with my GRANDPARENTS' generation (later named the "Greatest Generation") than I EVER did with my parent's generation. Sadly since there are relatively few of our generation, we ARE STILL in the state of Allison....They IGNORE US. 😢
Can we just appreciate how good the acting in this movie is?
Omg yes one of my favorites.
Heard they were given a lot of freedom to improvise too, not only they were good but when actors are given this freedom, they can make a movie shine.
Well, sure, but this is interesting.
The direction.
Desert Island movie
Simply put, her parents neglect her. All her life she most likely observed people and behaviors. Being brought up in a neglected household it’s made her socially awkward in a way that she doesn’t socialize as a regular person but because of being an observer she understands people.
I relate to that
Feal that
As someone who lived that, most definitely.
I haven't seen the movie in forever, but from the video I didn't see a sharp observer with a shrewd understanding of people. More like... well Allison reminds me of that meme where the cat is staring out the window wallowing in loneliness, but screams 'don't effing touch me' when someone goes to pet it... Maybe she's not as feral as in the clips, but I doubt her character has developmentally appropriate social skills either.
YES so true..this was me
The hallway scene has so much more depth once you understand her (psychologically). Everyone is trying to hide from the principal and she just stands there in plain sight of him with the others freaking out. Her parents convinced her she's invisible and she's just proving it to herself and showing it off like some superpower, but at the same time she's screaming to be noticed, to be seen, by someone, by anyone. This is what Claire does at the end. People criticize the makeover because it wasn't an improvement esthetically. But that's missing the point. She was never an ugly duckling. She was invisible. The "makeover" was about making her visible. That's it.
Great take on the makeover. That never occurred to me, but it makes all the sense in the world. Thanks.
My problem with the makeover is not aesthetic, even though my personal preference does run toward her original look. A large theme of The Breakfast Club is that everyone is a lot more than the stereotypes/archetypes that people choose to see, and the problem lies with those who refuse to see the depth and complexity of others. The makeover implies that the problem was with Allison and she was "fixed" by looking like a different stereotype/archetype, not with the people refusing to see that she was already and always more than what they chose to see. It undermines a primary message of the film by implying that she needed to change for people to accept her.
I would have preferred a setup that maybe she always had interest in looking like that, but she figured no one would notice or care so why bother, but through the course of the day, being seen and heard by these people to whom she was previously invisible gave her the confidence to try looking like that, perhaps even at her request rather than Claire doing it do her, but that's not the vibe the film gives, and I do think it's a narrative misstep in a film with a message that is otherwise very cohesive.
@@GabrielShadowArcher
She was wearing the pretty blouse under that huge coat, which to me says she was waiting for the day she'd feel comfortable enough to take it off.
@@ingloriousMachinaI always wondered where they got the clothes, but that makes sense
Wow, I never thought of it that way, but you are so right! Thanks for giving me a new perspective!
I always took Andrew's "Yeah" as much more than hearing her out and acknowledging her. Look at his face. He's feeling the exact same way, unheard and having his true self ignored by his parents. His home situation and reaction to it is just playing out differently. Have a hard look at him and listen to his voice when he says "Yeah." That's not just "I hear you." That's also "Me, too."
Yeah, I think you're right there, thankyou
I think the most powerfull line is “ what did they do to you?”
Andrew and Allison have opposite problems. Her parents ignore her, but his parents -- or, his dad, anyway -- pays too much attention to him, being too demanding: "You gotta be Number One!" He realizes that they'd both be better off somewhere in the middle, rather than at either extreme. That's what my sense of this moment meant. I can't see a victim of child molestation saying her bad situation is being ignored. Just the opposite, I'd say.
@@rainbowslushy223 yeah the emphasis on the 'you' really drives this point home
@@patricktilton5377 But are they? I mean, don't get me wrong- there is certainly a difference. But Andrew's dad, in the process of trying to live through Andrew, is ignoring Andrew as his own person. Allison may be ignored in the traditional- absolute sense, but Andrew is being ignored in the emotional, and identity sense.
The feeling is the same- despite the different flavors.
I think you missed the fact that her eccentricities weren't just a wall she puts up, but also a cry for attention. Yes you're right she's being weird to freak out people and keep them away. And that's because she's scared of opening-up only to be ignored. But at the same time, she wants to be seen. She is begging for attention with the weird things she does.
Yes, I 100% agree, I suppose I emphasised just the one side a bit too much. She's this paradox of both craving and fearing attention. She wants it but then doesn't know what to do when she has it.
I suppose I mean it's a wall though in the sense it hides her true self. The attention she gets is only towards the weird acting out, not towards her deeper feelings, it's like misdirection in that sense. People only see her as "the basket case" not an actual hurt girl. It takes Andrew to actually look beyond the wall of weirdness and see the human being beneath, only then does she properly open up and symbolically shed the black clothing
Thou who gets the most attention wins?
She's begging for attention with the weird things she does but they do push people away
@@sleepyghostisme7558 Classic approach/avoidance conflict.
@Ziksy There's a third option here: She's a teenager; She doesn't have all the skills or experience to truly hide, nor to suppress her strong teenage emotional life. The emotions have to come out somehow (not being metaphysical, just that as a teenager that is usually just how it is with emotions).
I think sometimes people over-read the 'cry for attention' interpretation when sometimes behaviors are partly or fully just a lack of skill or lack of alternative coping options. The scene with the sandwich was more towards 'cry for attention' whereas the bag response was more a lack of skill or a demonstration of ambivalence. Dressing differently or acting strangely is like the video author says: often an attempt to defend the self from unwanted contact. Sometimes it is all of these things but there are nuances between coping mechanisms and signals for help. Just because a behavior is unusual or ostentatious doesn't guarantee that any or all of it's source is to gain attention.
Crushes me every time Ally leans down to say goodbye to her parent(s) and they drive away
same
My parents do that too. And when the first time i saw the movie, suddenly my tears dropped on that scene
This is the most heartbraking for me, I feel that
@@hkic1775 *big bear hugs*
I think its because of her reasoning of going to detention. Maybe they knew she was going to detention because she had "nothing better to do" and was fed up with it?
The breakfast club is literally a case study on teenage students and I'm amazed why dont we take 80s movies seriously..
Yup we all are.
I work with teens now and I picked this film to be shown on a movie night at my old high school for that reason, lol. It’s fun for adults to watch and try to comprehend teenagers and it’s really validating for teenagers to watch. I remember watching this film for the first time when I was still a teen and I was simply amazed by it. I still am!
A lot '80s movies were brimming with satire, and it seems like modern people have collectively forgotten how the medium of satire works...
Going back then give a f*** about abuse or learning disabilities how they didn't even know that girl's got a adhd or Autism back then. I have both and they completely ignored me
@@elizabethbennet4791 bro I'm sorry that must have sucked. Fuck those motherfuckers, you just show that no matter how fucked society is we can still pull through.
Alison was a total babe before the, um... "makeover".
Right
Both looks were good
before: cute pseudo-goth
after: cute tinder chick
@Jesus Christ bruh
@Jesus Christ Says the dude who let a prostitute bathe him, smh
I always loved the fact that John doesn't make fun of her, she is the only one he connects with utterly from the beginning and they do not even talk. He knows she probably goes through similar trauma as he does. Yet it's all so subtle, I mean him throwing her a coke is the most interaction I think they have in the whole movie.
God I love this movie!
I could listen to people talk about it forever
In fact, Allison tells John he's an idiot because he had promised not to laugh about Claire's "skills", but he does. He also says "I've seen you around, you know" (or something like that) to Allison, at the beginning of the movie.
She endures the worst makeover in the history of movie makeovers
I've been trying to think of other makeovers now, but all that's coming to my mind is the villain in Die Another Day 😅
I think that was the perfect makeover for her. I can't imagine another way. Although Allison is so pretty in the whole movie.
My Little Thought Tree makeovers
Sandy in Grease
Tye In Clueless
Vivian in Pretty Woman
Just to name a few
Even worse than Princess Diaries 2?
I think what makes it the worst is not that she looks bad all dressed in white and with that silly bow on her head: it's that it defeats the ultimate meaning and sense of the movie which is about getting to know the other and accepting them for who they are regardless. It's like she has to turn into a "princess" to even deserve to be seen by others and the movie is about how shitty that perception is
Lastly. She doesn’t feel she can compete on the level of Clare etc. so she does an opposite thing so as not to be compared
I think this a good point. It adds understanding to the times she taunts Claire as well
That’s true, I think she wanted male attention, and wanted Brian and Andrew to notice her, and she was jealous of all the attention they were giving to Claire!
I don't think so
people on the spectrum do not typically conform to binary gender types like the pink princess or the jock. people with aspergers are often framed as being 'confused' about gender; tomboys if they are female, effeminate if they are male.
to allison, claire is inauthentic. a fake who masks her own identity for the reward of social acceptance and attention from boys.
framing girls as defining themselves as being in competition with other girls is a male fantasy. alliison didnt dress to be the opposite of claire. she dresses like that because that is who she is. those are the clothes she chooses to wear which do not expose or sexualise her own body. as claire does.
her clothes are practical and not contrarianism on her part to be the 'anti claire'. all women are vulnerable to sexual assault. becoming invisible is one way for women to protect themselves. maybe allison has been sexually assaulted. maybe she is a lesbian. maybe she doesnt like the creepy male teachers mentally undressing her. maybe she is trans and has body dismorphia.
these are all more plausible character motivations for the way she chooses to express her identity than doing a goth because claire.
claire is the one most likely to be the breakdown in the end. there is a price to denying your own needs for the wants of others. you eventually become the facade you perform and lose your own identity in a role that robs you of agency and denies you the self care and personal development you need to become fully actualized.
really solid observation!!
She’s actually cute af!
Nick Barrie I know right? I think she looks better than the popular girl
Always thought that
@@DH-fu7bx Oh, hell yeah. Even outside of the context of this movie Ally Sheedy is much better looking than Molly Ringwald. Sorry, no "diss" on Molly. Just is what it is.
@Sleppy 94 Eh, She looks good either way.
fr fr
I think she says "eat s---", because when he says "either you want to run away, or you want people to think you want to run away", she feels Andrew has questioned her sincerity or the validity of her emotions...like she's not driven by hurt, she wants to be mysterious. Then when he comes over by the books, she doesn't trust his sincerity because she thinks he just insulted her.
One thing I truly appreciate about Allison and Andrew's relationship is that he was genuinely interested in who she was. He listened, he cared, and he was truly able to see her beauty even before the makeover. Also, while the makeover wasn't the best one, it was such a sweet big sister moment for Claire. It's a moment of forgiveness and vulnerability between the two, especially after Allison pressured Claire.
Allison was 100% me in high school. I was super quiet, hid in a big jacket, never opened up to anyone, loved stealing pointless junk for no reason. My parents ignored me. Most people ignored me.
This film must mean a lot to you then. It's funny, from the comments, finding just how many people relate to her character.
@@mylittlethoughttree i didn't watch it until i had moved out of my Allison phase and got taken in by the marching band kids lol. But i think a lot of us who felt invisible and unwanted saw Allison opening up and being able to bond with her peers as a sort of light at the end of the tunnel.
@@jennilocke that's a nice thought, that the film would provide that for people. Did you find your light in the end?
@@mylittlethoughttree honestly i think i just got used to living in the tunnel 😅
And just like Allie you're super cute and more of a sight worth looking at than the popular girls ever could be.
As the weird guy from my school days, Allison always frustrated me. I didn’t put on the act to call out to people. I did it because I genuinely didn’t and still don’t know how to participate in this world I don’t understand. I see all of the world around me as unnecessarily brutal, short sighted, dishonest, and self destructive. Giving Allison the ending of “the world accepts you now! You can be normal!” was a cop out. Weird or crazy or misfit people usually don’t want to be “fixed”. I want to have a distance between me and this ugly game humanity plays. Like a lot of “basket cases” do.
Well all weirdos are different. I wouldn't say we all behave the same as Allison, nor for the same reasons. There is more of a balance she seeks though; to maintain her individuality but to belong a little more.
I'd agree there are some flaws with the message behind her "transformation" however
I think most people, including self identifying weirdos, want both: to be away and separate from the ugly masses, but also to feel accepted and included, on some level
Allison was the only kid there without a reason to be in detention. I _always_ thought the next Monday was going to be a little traumatic especially for her. They'll all most likely go back to their usual friend groups. But Allison strikes me as someone without many (or any) friends, and Allison is the least likely to understand why Andrew isn't her new jock boyfriend, why Claire isn't her new bff, and why maybe only Brian will be nice enough to be seen talking to her. There's no "basket case" group in high school that I recall.
I could go on about her dumpy, baggy clothing vs body image issues, or that she "lies" about having sex with her therapist, or that she labels herself as a kleptomaniac, a nymphomaniac, and a compulsive liar, all of which could point to potentially self-destructive behaviors like running away from home with her "gotta jam" bag... My main point being that Allison is that lonely/ignored person in all of us who wants to belong but is painfully unsure how that works.
@@WebsterAnn As a self indentifying weirdo that's how I feel
I don't think that's exactly what the makeover symbolized tho. I think that the fact that she actually trusted another person to give her a makeover is the takeaway here and that she's no longer hiding under her hair. And there is a reason as to why it's near the end of the movie and not the beginning, like the video said, it's supposed to be a transformation and a show of confidence. That being said, I do prefer Allison's regular attire and I'm sure she'll stick to what is comfortable to her, but maybe she'll be a little bit more confident and trusting going forward.
Looking through the comments and seeing some of the criticisms of the ending. My two cents. I think Andrew did find Allison attractive before the makeover. That was probably one of the reasons he was committed to drawing her out. As for her makeover, we should note that she was likely wearing that more stereotypically feminine blouse underneath her layers the whole time. It adds a dimension to things. She does not lose her individuality, but rather reveals a new part of it.
As for Brian, I actually feel he is the character least ready for a relationship. He's the only one among the group who has been suicidal. He needs time to recover, as it were, and by showing confidence in him by having him speak for them in the essay, the rest of the group helps him with that.
Well said, thankyou 😊 it's nice to hear other thoughts on Brian as I'm just starting the work for a video on him
Can I just say, I love that your profile picture is of the bangles. I literally love the bangles 😅😊
I identified heavily with Allison as a teenager, not from neglect, but ostracization from my peers. I think a lot of people overreact to the makeover part. All they did was put brown eyeliner instead of black, maybe a little blush, stick a headband on her head, and take off her black sweater. They didn't throw out her entire wardrobe and dye her hair blonde. The whole point is her opening up and seeing she can be more than one thing, exploring her own identity like teenagers do. At the end they say they're all different but all similar, she can be the basket case AND the princess if she wants. It gave her the confidence to approach Andrew, he already noticed and liked her before, she wasn't just changing for him.
I had the dark hair and pale skin in the 70s before Robert Smith of the Cure and Souixsie Souix started to make it trendy in the 80s so I went out of my way to get suntanned in the summer so I wouldn't look pale. Only I didn't tan or sunburn easily.
It represented the joy of finally being seen. Washing off "all that black shit" revealed Allison. Coming down on the makeover scene is a clear indicator that someone has missed the point
@saysHotdogs Alison was ahead of her time wuth her grungey goth look. She didn't buy into the mid 80s Southern Californian aesthetic.
I dated a girl like Allison many years ago. A little bit crazy but a kind hearted soul and out going. Years later, she turned out a great person and mother. We’re still friends to this days.
I never realized how brilliant Ally's acting is here.
She explained it in the movie. She was neglected.
Thank you!
Se wasnt even suppose to be there she jist didn't have anything to do
Yeah " what did the do to you?" Emilio Estevez says and she says they ignore me
Like Dante in Clerks she wasn't even supposed to be here today!!!!
I have had a good amount of neglect I was not feral to an inability to speak but I have found it difficult to connect with people so have found it difficult to accept myself because I was always told not to be.
I think why so many people love this movie is these kids created a safe space in that library to unpack all the bs that has been stacked on their teenage shoulders. They let go of a few negative beliefs about their peers and ultimately about themselves and started to see themselves as worthwhile.
I saw this film as a teen and the line "When you grow up your heart dies" still echos
"Who cares?..."
That song is damn good too.
Sometimes people actually learn to live and be themselves but pain is usually the catalyst for change to take place. There are places in the heart that do not yet exist, pain must be in order for them to be. I forgot who said it but it's true.
It's true. Yep. ☹
Such an iconic line
"because you're letting me."
My heart could crack in half.
I always thought that Allison and Bender were similar in some respect. That they suffered from different forms of abuse.
All of them did. They were all abused.
@@agricolaregs How was claire abused again
@@LLVJ929 sexual harassment
I strongly believe that Allison and Bender should’ve ended up together tbh
Yes
A “shopping bag lady” aka “bag lady” is an American 80s slang for a homeless woman.
Ah thanks I was kinda wondering what the meant
Well... Duh.
@@athenathegreatandpowerful6365
”well, duh!” is 80’s slang for….(xD)
I'm a weird one I always thought the dandruff picture effect was cool
So did I. It was imaginative 😆
Well one cannot deny that she draws well.
I still wanna try the sandwich creation she made lol
@@emphoenixcat1110 Ugh. that sounds horrible. What was on it? Cheese, corn pops, pixie sticks and what else?
@@moonlily1
Was never quite sure, I've never seen Pixie Stix in plain paper straws but figured it was a similar product. The cereal always looked like Cap'n Crunch to me. I never noticed the cheese or anything else, then again its been many years since I've watched it. I do recall all the lines nearly verbatim. A classic and one of my fave JH films.
✨RIP✨
I see myself so much in Allison. I was so depressed and isolated as a teenager so I just started hating everyone. Like if you push everybody away, you can't get more hurt.
And if you paint everyone as crap, you feel justified in your feelings in alienation "People suck; therefore, being alone is okay" . aka sour grapes.
Yup, Yup!
Maybe, but most definitely if you push everyone away you will miss out on good relationships.
Do you was a goth girl in this time?
This scene spoke to me because she’s been ignored so much that when Andy does reach out and ask how she’s feeling, at first she lashes out but then appreciates the chance to talk to someone
I thought she was cute even when she had messed up hair and black clothes
I think she was even cuter with her original look, it shows a certain individuality, I wish I could meet an Allison
Me too, in fact I didn't like the scene where the guy finally noticed her once she dressed all pretty in pink . I think it stripped her of who she was . You can change who you are to be better without taking on someone else's personality and looks . It felt like the new outfit was her being pushed to be like everyone else .
Ryanne Nicolai yes exactly, plus I like edgy girls
@@warren4033 Andrew notices her before her make over. However, we all know that he has a problem with trying to live up to his dad's idea of what he should be. Allison is definitely not that kind of girl so even though he likes her, he's not brave enough until he sees her dressed like Claire. Yes it's a bad makeover, but I think that's to show that she was perfect before. It's a moment for both allison and andrew. It's the moment when they both realize that their acts can't hold up if they're honest about their feelings for each other
It wasn’t pink, it was a white camisole. Her own clothes. What she’s been wearing underneath her black sweater the whole time. It’s the real her. Underneath the walls she’s lit up to defend herself. She’s taken them down and taken off her sweater as a representation of that. She’s showing herself as someone beyond the stereotype of a basket case outsider. Just a girl
This video helped me understand my past self, when I was in middle school / high school. Very accurate.
I finished school decades ago..and just learning why I am like I ...am..on so many levels..and THIS is a large piece of my puzzle.. it made me tear up..
I think we could do a whole other movie on her life. Where she grew up, her parents, her progression into adult life. There’s so much more to her. I could see her growing up super rich or poor or abroad. She’s all of us and none of us. I just want to get to know her background. She’s intriguing.
Unfortunately, that will forever remain an unsolved mystery
You could write her story.
I identified a lot with her character because I was super quiet and severely depressed. Now I'm middle age. But when she said that she could run away to those places, I imagined her going off to be in the Peace Corps or work for an NGO or something of a huge humanitarian mission someday. Like she told Bender, "I care!"
Dont say that. Hollywood is starving for old material to make into a Netflix series
Libra spotted
Not gonna lie, im autistic and like I could hear my "autistic detector" beeping real hard with all that relatable stimming!
Right? Same here. I was just like that. I related to this character a lot. I had no idea that I was probably autistic back then though.
As a neuro divergent person I saw that too.
As an autistic person I was also thinking this
I was also thinking she was autistic or at the very least ND coded. Being ND, we can point this kind of stuff out but NT people dismiss it as “being weird” And even “being obnoxious/annoying.”
I also thought of it too
Altough I preffered how she looked at the beginning of the movie, the makeover scene is super powerful. It signifies how Allison finally started to feel trust for someone, and how she's also gained the confidence to let go the standards that she put for herself. She doesn't need dark clothing and messy hair to be her, she is the one in control over who she is, and if it means experimenting with dresses and makeup, she's going to do it. She doesn't only trust in others now, she trusts in herself
I don't agree with the people in the comments expressing that you missed that what Allison is doing is a cry for attention. I think you explain that pretty well actually, but it may also be easier for me to immediately understand what you're saying because my personality aligns with Ally's. After being neglected for so long in your life, you start to yearn for attention but it's so unfamiliar, you don't know how to approach it, so instead you drive it away because with it, you're out of your comfort zone. Also the part where she tells Andrew to leave but then insults him to grab back his attention is evidence of this pushing and pulling factor inside of her. Her calling out for him might pull him to her, but her insulting him may also push him away, both are things that she wants. I think that moment is very symbolic of that. Thank you for this analysis. Its very good and deserves way more views!!
Yeah, I tried my best to explain it, but it is impossible to condense an entire person down to a 20 odd minute video. I think I'd add in lots of extra explanations to make things clearer, if I could go back and redo it but, ehh. I never claimed nor expected to explain everything. That's part of what's nice about comments; other people can add extra thoughts.
I think what you've said here, for example, sums up everything really well. Thankyou for taking the time to write it. I dunno how many or few views this video deserves but the fact it's got 45000 feels mad to me. It's done so much better than my other videos
Allison was painfully aware that she was strange, which is why she waited so long to speak. The principal is present often at the beginning of the movie, and she's technically not even supposed to be there, and she knows she's a shit talking negative Nancy, so I suppose holding off on speaking was saving her time to avoid their rejection. The rejection of her parents when they dropped her off was too fresh in her heart, so she wasn't keen on speaking until she was sure they weren't going to ignore her too. Once she notices that they all kinda silently agreed that she was strange and should be avoided is when she decided to speak. Cry for attention is too strong a word I think, it would imply that she was behaving that way to get them to pay her mind, but even getting sent to detention (not really tho) wasn't enough for her parents so behaving badly doesn't get her attention, and it's not like becoming a cheerleader or straight A student was gonna get her positive attention(or so she thinks). She dressed in all black, and hides her face. She seemed depressed, anxious, and understood that she wasn't likeable. It was only jock boy's repeated tenderness that got her to open up, because even when he got angry, he wasn't angry with her, just with what she said, and she understood that. That was the driving force that gave her the courage to say that her parents ignored her, and why I think she wished she could run away. That statement from the brain, accusing her of seeking attention "you just want people to think you're gonna run away" was a misunderstanding of what she wanted to express, that she wishes she could run away, and prepares for it, even though they both know that she won't do it. In a sense, she does run away, she runs away to detention; she craves emotional interactions, and can't get it at home. Like a child who goes hungry, and only eats well at school comes to dread the weekend because then they can't eat ...
The makeover scene was perfect, it was 80s personified. If you put your best self forward, you'll reap all the rewards for your efforts. Why would this obviously beautiful girl hid her body and her face?
The 80s was all about showing off your wealth(assets) and in the 80s the natural beauty was king; by pulling her hair away from her face, and showing her (true) beauty instead of a projection of her unlikable qualities( because she was more likeable towards the end when she chose to participate and wasn't so DARK AND GLOOMY) she was transformed into her real self. A sweet and shy girl deserving of all the attention she craved.
She got the Cinderella treatment if I'm being honest, can't really see anything wrong with that. Can't believe some people are saying she should have kept her clothes and makeup, and didn't think there was a need for "improvement" . Everyone could see her bad qualities as easily as the hair on her head. She didn't even like herself like that. That was the point.
Love this comment. 100% agree. It also highlights the natural flaw of me attempting to "explain" a person in just 20 minutes. I'd agree cry for attention is the wrong phrase. There's so much I'd like to go back and add to this video if I could, but comments like this do it better than I could.
I have mixed feelings about the makeover. I think it's bonding between Claire and her, I think it's Allison learning she can change if she wants to, she's not trapped. I think it suggests we can change our looks and things over time. It's possible her dress sense is just"a phase" I don't like that term because it belittles the importance of exploring different styles and everything, but it's possible she would leave it behind
Then again, it does also suggest "girls are meant to dress pretty and look how men like them to look" do I see that as the intended message? No, I see the transformation as symbolic, but I understand people's concerns
What an interesting take! I like your perspective. Though I think what others were trying to say was that it’s unlikely her makeover really represented her considering how she was portrayed during the majority of the movie. However, I suppose it’s possible that it did and it’s something to consider.
@@mylittlethoughttree I admit the word "phase" is a bit limiting, but only because exploring the options of style can be a serious part of growth. And that's the thing many don't seem to realize. Alison could choice any look she wanted on any given day for whatever kind of reaction she wants. Girls in particular can go through a lot of look. They'll have there hair long, shave it off, or dye part of it green depending on the day. As it's fair to assume she might go back to some variation on the black makeup because she admits to liking it.
As for getting the attention of guys, I am inclined to agree with Ally Sheedy saying in hindsight it would have made more sense to put her in a white mens t-shirt rather than the white-pink frills. She recognized that we wanted to show she was beautiful all along, but could have done that without going for "conventionally" beautiful. What made it work for me despite sharing some of those concerns was that Ally didn't play it like she was thrilled by Andrew's reaction. Rather she shifted brilliant between worry and bemused. Liking that Brain laughs at her, trying to put the blame on her Claire if he didn't like, and then asking if it's actually good that he sees her face. Her silent expression seems to say "Well this is different, but okay I guess." Plus her final gesture of sweeping something off his jacket and waving it front of him may have been her way of saying, "don't think I've changed TOO much."
Loved these videos and really wish I could have found them sooner.
There was a kid in my high school who was sort of like Allison. Mild-mannered, shy, and kind of geeky his freshman year, but by the time he was a senior he had transformed: shaved half his head, leather jacket, and combat boots.
I'm actually kinda proud of that kid cause it seems he finally found a way to express himself the way he wants and that makes me happy
@@winterspringfail Yes agreed. He was a nice guy.
What really confirms this movie as an 80s flick is when Ally Sheedy says that she could travel to Afghanistan if she wanted to. No one says that anymore.
This is the moment I realize that I was the Allison of my high school.
There’s also this phenomenon I’ve noticed where you believe you should just be yourself and ignore what everyone else thinks, but you don’t know what it means to be yourself and you don’t know how much of your actions are just for other people, so you overcompensate by being more weird than you actually are.
I was a cross between Alison and Brian. Not in extremes, though.🙂
There are infinite ways to be; therefore, I've always struggled with just "being myself". I don't even know what I am myself and also need to contemplate the consequences of my actions and consider if I can deal with the consequences without regret.
If I knew this girl in highschool I would have spent all four years trying to get her to notice me.
That made me laugh. I'd probably have done the same 😅
Notice me goth Mommy
Same.
I remember when I was little I watched the breakfast club for the first time, and when I came to the scene where she poured her dandruff onto the paper. I tried that a few weeks later and succeeded quite easily; much to my mother’s horrified shock and my father’s impressed concern.
So thanks, breakfast club, for making my parents realize my scalp was a snowbank, and making me cringe at the smell of shampoo.
I'm sorry, i kinda don't agree. When allison or anyone alike her does weird things that she does isn't as a sign to tell people to stay away from her... IT'S A SCREAMING SIGNAL telling others I NEED ATTENTION, PEOPLE!! I mean, she said it herself, her parents ignore her. So with that lack of very needed attention, she tries to look for attention and love from other sources such as friends at school. I know because i used to be like that.
Yeah I mean you're absolutely right in that sense, although it's kind of what I talk about when it comes to the scene with Andrew: those of us who are unfamiliar with attention certainly crave it, yet they also fear it at the same time because it's so unfamiliar. They kind of don't know what to do when they get it, hence Allison telling Andrew to eat shit, and the way she moves back and forth between expressing something then instantly becoming shy.
It's definitely a cry for attention on one level, but not for attention to who she is specifically, not towards the real her, the deeper person with vulnerabilities. Instead, she draws attention to her weirdness, which masks her vulnerabilities beneath by making them seem like nothing more than "oh, this person's a bit batshit" rather than "this is a girl I should be empathising with right now." So in that sense, it does keep people away. She becomes a strange spectacle rather than a person to connect with.
So it is paradoxical but human emotions are messy, contradictory splurges of chaos. She craves attention yet fears it, demands it yet pushes you away. Hence why it takes Andrew's careful patience in the scene between them to finally reach her.
At least that's how I see it. Thanks for the comment though, discussion is exactly what I look forward to on this channel
@@mylittlethoughttree yes yes, i agree. Especially with the term paradoxical. That totally sums it up. Very fulfilling indeed. Sorry for they late reply, i didn't get a notification for your reply. Love your channel, too bad not many people are subscribed. Maybe you just need to produce more content alike this one.
Thanks man, good of you to say. I think you're probably right though, I guess I'm just waiting for a video to be really picked up by the algorithm. I have been consistently uploading every week since I started, so that should probably help too. As it is though, I'll just enjoy making these videos and reading the comments
My feeling was that she wanted the attention all along, but wanted to wait until it was safe to ask for it without being mocked or judged for revealing her vulnerabilities. At the beginning of the movie, she didn’t know any of the other students very well, so her acting “weird” was her signal to them to keep their distance from her because she did not want to interact with them. But later on when the others talked about their reasons for being in detention, they revealed their own vulnerabilities that she could relate too, such as there tensions with their parents, which was a theme common to all of the students. I think this made her feel that it was safe for her to reveal her own problems and vulnerabilities to them.
She basically tells you in the movie. She doesn't want to be ignored anymore. This is particularly heartbreaking, since we know now how viscerally painful being ignored can be
She predicted the song cigarettes by juice wrld
I too can relate to Allison. In school I was very shy, quiet, was bullied, had no friends, my saddest memory of HS was, sometimes hanging out with my little sister because I HAD no friends. I was a senior and her a freshman. I just remember feeling embarrassed that she had friends and I DIDN'T. Anyway, there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm happily married to the love of my life, 2 daughters and I LOVE my life!💙
You deserve the best
Stay Blessed
thank you for saying this. I have a daughter on the spectrum that suffers much the same and I just need to know that one day, someone will love her like I do and see what I see.
This entire analysis is literally a personal attack on me I love it
Sorry 😂
same 😂... 😰
I was in Jr High when saw this, and at 18:08, I caught the way Andrew asks, "What do they do to YOU?", about her parents. Putting the emphasis on "YOU", as if to convey, "You, TOO, huh?". That's when I felt they were gonna end up together. I also realized, later, that she gravitated toward Andrew, because if she was drop her defenses, it was probly a good idea to do it to the strong wrestler...a perfect contingent defense system, right on her arm, so she can drop more of her defenses. I also thought, at the end, when he told her it was good he could see her face, he should have told her he still thought she was beautiful in her black, also.
Yeah, agreed. The transformation thing works symbolically but it'd be a shame to imagine Andrew only sees her beauty once she all done up
@@mylittlethoughttree Yea, I also remember that, back in the 80s, the Goth look, or "Bat Cavers" as they were called, in Seattle at least, weren't as accepted in "Suburbia". Downtown...totally, but the movie is obviously from the suburb's point of view. Plus, their parents' cars symbolize their "home life", and Alison's is a Cadillac SeVille. An upper-middle class car/"sign", which tells me all material & basic needs are met, but emotional needs, love & affection are not, hence, the conflict & defense.
Growing up, Allison and Brian were the two characters I identified with the most out of the group, particularly Allison. Allison's strange behaviour is her barrier, and is designed to make people give her the attention that she desperately craves, without having to openly acknowledge it, or admit that she's lonely.
I love your analysis of her confession scene with Andy and Brian, particularly when Andy gets her to open up. He's the first person who seems to see beyond her "Basket Case" image that she's cultivated for herself, and that glimpses the vulnerable soul underneath her outlandish act.
When I first watched the film, I thought that them getting together seemed random, but on later viewings, I've realized that there's subtle hints scattered throughout of their budding relationship, since he gazes at her during some moments, and even indirectly defends her from Claire at one point. 🖤
Thankyou for all three of your comments, I agree with everything you've said in them Allison and Brian are probably the characters I also identify most with and I'm looking forward to doing a video on Brian in that sense. I won't lie, a bit of me is worried about when I finish this series, what happens next. I've still got 3 or 4 more to do though, plus there's my other series, and hopefully more ideas will come. Sorry, I have a habit of rambling in comment sections 😆 thanks anyway
sorry this isnt relevant, i love your profile picture!!
@@bugeater2763 Thanks a million, I adore your picture as well! 💕😁
I love the scene with the group in the circle talking. Allison has the chairs positioned to wear they look like bars or a door/window she is behind and throughout the conversation she comes out a little at a time. The more she opens up, the more she comes out of her cage.
I've always said that Allie Sheedy's performance in this movie may be one of the most underrated in movie history. I don't know who won the Oscar for best actress that year but it should have been her. Absolutely astonishing. That brief moment when she opens up to Emilio Estevez.😢
In the beginning of the movie, Allison's parents just drive off and don't say anything to her
Really glad this ended up on my recommended page
Same here
"I'm sure you must have met people like that who, you know, in situations where they want care or attention or something can't go out and directly say it to you because that makes them feel vulnerable so they instead do this weird silent treatment or getting angry at you in a way that says I want some attention."
Well, of course I know him. He's me.
Hahaha sorry to hit home 😅
And I’m she :’)
I read that in obi voice
Rewatching these scenes again now it strikes me how emotionally intelligent Andrew is (guess there's a reason jocks and cheerleaders are popular huh). He seems to know what to say to draw Allison out, instead of taking her basketcase act at face value like everyone else.
Allison embodies the disorganized attachment style really well. Although I flinched when she attacked Andrew when he walked away. It reminds me of the way emotional abusers often deflect blame/responsibility by shifting the focus to the other person.
It's what borderline pd's do. What's the expression: go away, don't leave me.
The most telling Allison moment for me was when she admits to being a pathological liar. She makes up stories as a coping mechanism. It's a pretty common response to child abuse. It allows her to elevate herself above her "unsatisfying" life. When she talks about running away, she doesn't limit herself to living on the street. She fantasizes about faraway vague destinations. Running away isn't an escape in her framing; it's an adventure. I'm guessing that she ended up coming to school on Saturday because she told one of her parents she needed a ride there and had to stay to keep up her lie. When she does weird shit like make snow with her dandruff and concoct bizarre sandwiches, she's entertaining herself as much as everybody else, indulging in this world of her own creation.
The interesting thing about her lies is that she goes pretty extreme with them. That speaks to me of a need to get a response she doesn't think she's earned otherwise. Maybe she doesn't think anyone will care that she's had to deal with an ineffective therapist, so she instead claims to have been raped by one to justify how hurt she is. She feels proven right when Brian scoffs at her description of her home life as "unsatisfying" without appreciating the effect that her life has had on her.
This role should have gotten her an Oscar Nomination.
Allison is an introvert. She finds it hard to make friends though she may wish to have some. Yes, because she keeps to herself a lot, others find her strange and don't venture out to talk to her or get to know her on any level.
In the detention situation, they are all in a large room but they are all stuck together for the day. Others cant avoid her all that much, though she could still keep quiet to herself, but because the group of people isn't large, she might feel like she can stick her neck out and test the waters a little bit. But with Allison it's sort of a all or nothing at all, that's why she suddenly dumps her bag out on the couch. Because she's an extreme introvert, she's not real good at social norms or graces. So, she's just going to take a big chance once and for all and see if one of them could possibly connect with her. As she said in the movie, her parents tend to ignore her, so she doesn't feel important to any one, she doesn't feel like she is worth anything, which is why she seems to be making a last ditch desperate attempt at making a few friends and feel like she fits in somewhere, at least a little bit because she has no support from her parents. Even though Allison is quiet and normally keeps to herself, she watches other people and notices things about them. That's why she tells Andrew that he does whatever others tell him to do. She nailed him and he knows it.
Allison reminds me greatly of my best friend. Both of us are introverts, but she is more so than I am. Being friends with her for nearly 40 years now, I know her family pretty well, and I can see how and why she was so introverted.
This was such a good movie.
I don't think it's that Allison was afraid of opening up, otherwise she wouldn't really show an interest in it. I think she wants to open up, but is afraid of rejection.
I think dumping her bag was a way of rolling the dice with some kind of interaction in which she doesnt really have anything to lose anyway! Thanks again!
No internet. No social media. No athlete/actor influencers. Just 5 people coming together, getting to know and understand each other without burning, rioting, and looting. LONG LIVE THE 80s!!!!!! Cuz the 80s Matter!!!!!!
SHOWMEGOD GENERATION X
WE RULE!!!!!
XXXXXXXXXX
Allison and Andrew are definitely my favorite characters in the movie but I still never understood why she had to have a makeover rather than just find a healthy medium between her weirdness and he wanting people to care
Balance is key, yeah. She may have gone back to black afterwards, she may have brought back only small things, she may have changed again. It's all exploring, the way I see it
I agree with you 100% and Allison and Andrew were my favorite characters as well in the movie,I still think the makeover was unnecessary but I guess it was a thing to do in the 80s.Imo I think if The Breakfast Club were made in the 90s or even now I think Andrew would've just accepted the way Allison looked and acted even without the makeover because he liked and had a connection with her before she got dolled up.
nicole fornuto I definitely agree even the actress who played Allison said that if the movie were made today that scene would have been omitted and she really hates it haha
@@nicolefornuto7177 Andrew did accept her though. He was taken aback by the whole transformation, but he clearly liked her and cared about her before that point. If anything, there should've been a line with Andrew stating that to her, because that scene was also about Claire wanting to share something that she cared about.
The makeover is symbolic. Letting someone touch you in a way that changes you takes a significant amount of trust and Claire doesn't violate the trust. Grooming someone is a form of affection or bonding. Claire is offering her that and Allison is accepting it.
Deadass I've always had a crush on Alison
I do this... rehearsing before speech, wanting to talk but to scared to... what is this is sign of?
It's not uncommon. I do the same, a lot less than I used to now, but that's just a case of getting better at noticing when I'm overthinking things. It's just a case of being slightly anxious in some social situations, and wanting to speak but having that little bit in your brain that, for some stupid reason, worries you'll mess it up/something will go wrong/people will think you're an idiot if you open your mouth.
When I say anxious as well, that doesn't necessarily mean you have anxiety or anything because I don't, it just means sometimes you might be a bit more prone to feeling anxious or even just shy in some social situations. Rehearsing ain't a bad thing. As long as you still speak rather than letting the chance slip altogether, it doesn't particularly matter.
My Little Thought Tree I actually do have anxiety.
My Little Thought Tree t
Ah yeah that fits then. Like I said though, it's fairly common. I don't do it as much but I definitely end up rehearsing things while I'm having my haircut. Phone calls are the other one for me. Sometimes I write down what I plan to say before ringing people
My Little Thought Tree thank you!
I wonder if Andrew would've been a good school counsellor? I mean he understood pressure, he understood the influence adults can have on their kids, he understood Allisons weirdness and intuitevly he understood how to approach Allison. In my head he would grow up and put that stuff into practice.
He certainly has empathy, so it's definitely possible
As a former youth runaway, I always believed Allison. To be crystal clear, I think her "compulsive liar" thing is her only lie. Allison offers glimpses of her crazy truth, knowing it's too much for others to accept, so she covers and says she's lying. But look at her bag, she IS ready to run. She's been considering it for a while. She didn't plan to show anyone her bag (literally her emotional BAGGAGE) today.
If she's being honest, and she really is this "messed up," then her family ignores her, and her shrink abused her. She's gonna run if she can't find friends to give her something stable in her life. She's in detention for no other reason than to be with people her own age. She's the only one there who didn't earn detention. The things in her bag are her most immediate needs, the same unrealistic way many kids leave.
People are too quick to write Allison off, but what if she's NOT a liar?
When I was in high school about 20 years ago now, I would meet my 4 best friends every morning in the library my 10th and part of my 11th grade year. We rarely saw each other at school the rest of the day. We mostly occasionally saw eachother outside of school, but we spent every morning together in the library and called ourselves the breakfast club. We were a rare, fucked up bunch, and no one probably could tell otherwise. The reason we met in the library was because no one would be there in the mornings except the librarian.
That's such a nice image
I also liken this popular mentality or average mentality to a conversation I had with a baby boomer. He said that one of his sons was weird. I responded by saying, “Have you ever tried to understand him?”That shut him up because of course he has to admit to himself that he doesn’t give a shit. He is a very typical parent who doesn’t realize that he’s actually being abusive.
The scene that her parents let she in school and ignore her is the most heartbraking scene for me
All this proves is that she's an AMAZING ACTRESS
I always identified with the Allison character. People don't realize how damaging being ignored by parents is. It's not not just a matter of being neglected, I was not neglected, and neither is Allison, she fed, she's clothed, her parent cares enough to drive her to school, but they don't care enough to ask why, or say good-bye. To be made to feel like your presence, your feelings, your life is completely unimportant, like if you disappeared tomorrow nobody would notice; it makes you feel sub-human, or like a complete "non-person". I felt so invisible at home that I went out of my way to make myself as weird as possible to get myself noticed. Unfortunately, ignored people can get sucked in by a love-bomber. Andrew seems like a nice guy, but there are so many narcissists out there that look for people like Allison to take advantage of.
Have you ever seen the film "My Friend Dahmer"? about Jeffrey Dahmer in high school, as remembered by one of his classmates whom Dahmer hung out with. Dahmer becomes the group's "mascot" and they encourage him to act up and exaggerate his strangeness, which the friends think of as funny and a way to liven up the boring last months of their final year of school. I was reminded of him as I read through the comments about Allison.
Dahmer's mother totally ignores and neglects Jeffrey and is instead either fussing over her younger son, or ranting about her estranged husband and getting into massive arguments with him or else making very strange pronouncements about aliens and so on (she seems to be off her rocker herself, taking any attention away from Jeffrey's growing strangeness). At the end of the film, with Jeffrey having graduated and 18 and out of school, the mother simply packs up her stuff and gets in the car with the younger son and drives off. With Jeffrey's father having already moved out months ago, she leaves Jeffrey alone in an empty abandoned family house.
Andrew and Alison were amazing together in this film! They work so well together.
I love how she just drops everything including her tampons. queen.
I think also in her bag reveal, she does it dramatically because she later reveals that in her home life she is ignored. She resents that these new friends might become people who are ignoring her also, so she overreacts to counteract that. Being dramatic and grabbing their attention so that they can't ignore her.
“Suddenly it’s not that you’re alone because you’re too shy, it’s that you’re alone because everyone else is too boring or too dull or too ordinary to understand the weird you; too freaked out by you. That feels like a great level of power…”
My shy brain: “Write that down. WRITE THAT DOWN!!” 😯
When people ask what I was like in high school this character is my answer. Your analysis is spot on. I was so desperately shy and closed off that I literally felt invisible and then when I WAS noticed it just made me panic. The only friendships I've ever had have been initiated by the friend and not me. Left to my own weird, shy, socially awkward devices I'd be friendless.
I loved this analysis. I don’t know why it doesn’t have more likes or views. It explains very important things not only about the character but also people like her. I always identified with Allison as a teenager and it feels like I learned a bit about myself through this video. Thank you for this!
I had such a crush on Emilio Estevez when I saw this film. He's gorgeous.
beautiful character. and she makes sense. but damn, its not healthy to maintain this attitude as an adult. glad she grows into her true self.
I agree. I know adults with that behavior. And it's sad as hell because they just want attention and kindness and understanding, but there's only so much aggression directed at you that you can take - especially if they don't get proffesional help.
Your analysis made that parents line so much more emotional to me. Legit shed a tear... she just needed someone to lean on. So sad. Makes me have a whole different perspective of her character. I feel for her.
his "what did they do to you" is also said with a somewhat subtle "what did they do to YOU" as if to say "My parents/father have done something to ME, and what did your parents do to YOU?".
I always love that shot shown at 15:10. Such a beautiful and brilliant way to develop a character, no dialogue needed, all done in about 10 seconds flat. The hesitation in her body language before she is left behind is very poignant.
For the last ten years or so I’ve been fascinated by the trend of people now proudly saying they hated Alison’s makeover at the end of the film. That trend is classic postmodern BS.
When we meet this character, Alison, she is “a basket case.” She is an emotionally abused loner and kleptomaniac who is unable to even casually interact with others. She appears to have z.e.r.o. self-confidence. And as A RESULT OF THIS , she dresses in black raggy clothes with a sloppy mop of hair on her head. She adopts this appearance b/c she has is a broken soul and fears human interaction and believes this look will keep others at a safe distance. Then as the film progresses, we see the kids interact more and more til they get to the most important scene in the film: all 5 kids sitting in a circle and sharing their deepest thoughts and feelings. For Alison, this is a level of interaction with others that she’s never experienced. She’s never had others listening to her thoughts and feelings. In that scene, it’s Alison who delivers arguably the most poignant line in the film: “When you grow up, your heart dies.” When Bender responds “Who cares?” Alison, with tears in her eyes, says “I care.” So beyond a doubt, Alison has finally opened her heart up to others and is experiencing being treated with care and concern. This is something she - anyone and everyone - has been longing for. Now that she has experienced this type of acceptance from others it represents a transformation for Alison - from dark loneliness to light beauty and self-confidence. So when she is made-over by Claire it represents Alison coming out of her lonely shell and feeling free. It’s a beautiful transformation. Postmodernists want to argue that she was just selling out and conforming. What a ridiculous interpretation. Postmodernists cannot call it for what it is - a success story. Alison’s former self wasn’t cool or wonderful - it was sad. Her look matched her lack of self-worth. Then she accepts Claire’s friendly gesture and her inner transformation shows itself outwardly as well.
A very good comment. I agree with you. I can see the argument that Allison's transformation suggests conforming to the pressures put upon women, but I prefer to see it metaphorically.
I guess the interesting thing is that we do find Allison kind of cool and we want her to be cool...yet she's also a very lonely girl. Supposedly there's a deleted scene where she locked herself in a room and cried whilst all the other characters were smoking weed. As someone who's often been an outsider himself, I think we find it comforting to view other outsiders as cool. Really though, we all want to belong in some small way that doesn't sacrifice our freedom and identity. We all want to learn how to open up better. Allison's change symbolically suggests that
It's also a very intimate moment between Claire and Allison when she puts on her makeup and she lets her defenses down to be vulnerable
Sleppy 94 WTAF. You’ve completely validated his criticism of your snowflake reaction. Did he pay you for such a ludicrously “woke” response? Wow, just WOW
I couldn’t have said it better myself. 💕
+Ivan Lendl I've always liked the makeover scene myself because Allison allows Claire to be close to her in a way she never would've at the start of the film. She even asks why Claire is being so nice and Claire responds, "You're letting me." People seem to overlook that part of the scene and instead become hyper focused on the makeover itself. It wasn't like her personality changed or anything, at the end of the film she ripped Andy's patch off of his jacket with that classic Allison grin.
Speaking of, Andrew liked her well before that makeover, something else people tend to gloss over. If he'd ignored her up until then and suddenly "liked" her once she got dolled up it'd have been an entirely different thing.
Allison is far more interesting, creative, attractive when she's being "strange". After her makeover, she's just another conforming, suburban Barbie Doll. It would be a self betrayal if she didn't let the "before" Allison enliven the "after" Allison as she increasingly gains confidence.
Yeah, it's certainly a valid argument. I choose to see her transformation more as symbolic, however I can't argue with that idea
@@mylittlethoughttree I'm intrigued that you see her transformation as symbolic because I'm not sure what you mean by that and because that word seems like an abstraction when compared to your usual precise, perceptive illucidations. Have you ever thought of discussing the social psychological development of the film overall?
@@chrisdiver6224 well I suppose it's precisely because you're right that I see the transformation as symbolic, because otherwise there's no beneficiary reason for it to be there, other than that there does need to be some bonding between her and Claire. Someone else once pointed out in the comments that it would've been cool if Allison and Claire had swapped looks, which would've worked better, although I'm not sure it's something Claire would do.
I could of course criticise John Hughes for turning Allison into a barbie doll at the end. I've not seen other films of his but I've heard his female characters weren't always exactly feminist. I suppose the focus of the video wasn't so much on reviewing the film's writing though, plus there's the concern I'd then be suggesting it's wrong for someone like Allison to forgo her weirdness and fit in. Because I don't think that is necessarily wrong. For some people, they express weirdness and everything at one stage growing up because it has a specific purpose at that specific point in their lives, but then they let it go and become more normal. Like people of my age who were emos in school, then changed. For some people, it's only a temporary expression, and that could (could) be the case for Allison.
Then again, I suppose it still all has it's balance. Because identity is all about finding the balance between how much you want to fit in and how much you want to stand out. Which, coincidentally, is what tomorrow's video will be about (unless the copyright block is removed from my spirited away video). I'd hope Allison did hold onto a lot of her weirdness however it's also clear that she's needed to learn how to open up and let herself belong a bit more. I think a relationship with Andrew would help her do that.
Although, again, it'd be nice to hope Andrew did already find her attractive before the transformation. Sorry, this has been a very rambling comment. I do that 😅
@@chrisdiver6224 oh, and what did you mean by the psychological development overall?
@@mylittlethoughttree Just to look at how the members of the breakfast club develope individually and together with the eye of a psychotherapist, aware that this is a drama with a dramatic intention. What impressed most about TBC is that there naturally developed the kind of honesty you usually only find in group therapy. They wonderfully came to recognize how their parents had pressured them to become roles that met their parents needs, hence they felt abandoned. From this recognition they formed a deep emotional solidarity that affirmed their right to discover who they actually each are free from parental control -- the objective of Summerhill !
It kinda bothers me she has to change how she looks to be redeemed at the end, because her look isn't soft /feminine enough. Bender doesn't have
to tuck in his shirt to be accepted at the same end (though I suppose he does gain an expensive diamond earring, but that isn't normalizing for a tough guy). This has always been a huge problem with films, a weird girl, or a tough girl or even a nerdy girl has to become softer and more fem to be accepted. I could maybe understand if it went in a fem-goth direction, but it doesn't.
Simply because of her performance, Allison has always been my favorite character in the film.
I remember randomly watching this movie playing on TV one lazy morning and absolutely loving it. I couldn't put my finger on exactly why I loved it so much but now I see. It's the slight intricacies that you've so beautifully explained here. It's that despite the exaggerations of the characters' personas and actions, they also display the complexities of being human, the contradictions, and the silent battles we face.
I've always seemed like I relate to Allison, and now I understand even more why. I've seen myself do this stuff all the time, the barriers and stuff. I haven't exactly been ignored really, but I've sort of isolated myself a lot through my life from my family and friends. Idk, interesting video anyway man
I completely empathise with that. I do it a lot less nowadays because I've spent a long time trying to get better at it, but it still happens, even when I know I'm literally making things worse for myself.
I hope this doesn't come across a weird thing to say but it reminds me of a bit of a poem I once wrote.
"Sometimes I get so afraid of not belonging
That I choose to isolate myself.
Now I'm realising the only reason
I don't belong is because
I keep isolating myself."
The strange, stupid habits us humans can have, eh? 😆 Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for taking the time to comment. It's being able to connect in little ways with people that makes doing this channel worth it
The film was also made at the time when people were becoming marketing types and copying each other like in Single White Female.
My Little Thought Tree
That little poem is nice, bittersweet. I’ve isolated myself all my life. I’ve taught myself not to expect other people to be interested in my ideas, because they are long winded and hard to follow... and it hurts my feelings when I share my ideas and lose people’s interests. So I stopped sharing and am mostly content to keep my thoughts to myself. It still hurts sometimes, though.
@@sick_icarus I can relate.Sometimes I feel a well of thoughts, ideas and emotions build up and I try not to let it all pour out at once. Sharing too much tends to make others uncomfortable. I think I tend to overcorrect saying little, getting bored and keeping to myself. Its hard finding a balance.
After reading so many comments and of course watching this wonderful breakdown regarding Allisons character I realize that there is truth in everybody's interpretation about this character... I myself identify with this character and her profound pain.... Human nature/behavior is such a complex subject.
I'm a big fan of Allison. But, it's pretty clear to me that she's experienced years of severe emotional neglect and has likely spendt a lot of time alone. Her weird behaviors, the dandruff, sandwich and nail biting, all are probably things she usually does alone so it might not have occurred to her how odd some of her habits are. I agree with you about the impulse behavior. I think her acting out is trying to open up, but her safety blanket is solitude. So when she's arguing with the jock, it's clear her adrenaline was high. Saying go away was an instinctual defense mechanism and asking him to come back is herself trying to fight her trauma to open up.
She is a very intelligent and talented woman obviously, who's been stifled and hurt. So I think youre right about her "I'm weird, what're you going to do about it?" act, but I think she does want to run. She knows she needs to be smart about it though.
She opens her bag the way she opens her mouth. In bursts.
Ally's character made us feel less alone.
I saw this movie literally a month before high school and I related the most to Brian and Allison. Brian’s big reveal about why he’s in the detention has been my thought process all throughout most of high school. Thankfully it’s gone down a bit. But the thing is, Im not in honors classes or every academic club. I do above fine. Every one treated me like Allison. People come up to me and tell me I’m weird or ugly or whatever. And because I wanted thick skin I would not respond and would take it to heart and wear it like a badge.
Oh yay another persons rant section of your comments
Amazing video as always
That's not a rant, that's a ramble and I love rambling, it's what my channel is built upon 😆
Seriously though, thankyou for all your kind comments, I'm glad to have you here 😊
I really think she was crying out for help but I guess it’s up for our own interpretation..
In part she was, I agree. I think that's the problem with me doing videos like this; it's hard to convey that humans have multiple, contradictory reasons for everything they do. In many ways I think the heart of Alllison problems is a struggle between asking for help and wanting to belong/open up, yet also wanting to keep a safe distance and be on the outside. By the end, she's much better at the opening up and belonging side of things than she was
it's like her weirdness is being used to push people away, but it also is used to call for attention - to say "look at me". to say "look at me, i exist, but don't ask me to be vulnerable or close with you... but please also don't ignore me"
beautifully put. Perfectly summarises the great dilemma of social interaction we all struggle with to some extent: how much we want to be close to others and how much we want to maintain our boundaries
I went from homeschool to highschool, and as moment people started treating me badly for things I cared about- my weight, my appearance, my interests, my social awkwardness- I gave them made up reasons to bully me so they'd leave me alone. Things I didn't care about, and more specifically, things that were dumb to bully someone for. I was a satanist, a witch, bully me for those things. I was a slut (I was a virgin), bully me for that. I was a lot of things I was not, but also knew wasn't bad to be, so that the targets were fake, AND not worth bullying over, so I'd know they were both wrong and stupid.
I get it.