Allison Reynolds

Once upon a time in the 1980's, director John Hughes released a very popular and influential teen movie titled "The Breakfast Club". In it, five kids go to Saturday detention at a suburban Illinois high school, lasting from 8AM to 5. Each of the five represents a different high school social group and stereotype, all seeming very different from each other; but by the end of the movie, they've all found their similarities due toteen angst, mostly caused by their difficult relationships with their parents. They bond and some find romance. Also by the end of the movie, many viewers find a character that they identify with, reminding them of themselves in high school.

There's "the princess", Claire (Molly Ringwald), a rich popular girl who's a little prissy and self-absorbed, but fairly nice; "the athlete", Andrew (Emilio Estevez), a varsity wrestling friend of Claire who is controlled by his father; "the criminal", John Bender (Judd Nelson), a loud, obnoxious kid who teases everyone, but is emotionally vulnerable; "the brain", Brian (Anthony Michael Hall), a tall, skinny, blond kid who babbles about being in the Physics Club, and is under stress to get perfect grades; and "the basket case", Allison (Ally Sheedy), a girl who hides behind thick, dark hair and clothing, and who varies between wanting attention or wanting to be ignored.

I assumed that Claire would be the more popular character, as she was played by a pretty, popular actress (and was so herself), and is focused on by the movie. I also knew the Bender would be popular with fans, as all bad boys are. But I didn't expect that so many would identify with Allison, the "weird" one that makes people feel a little uncomfortable.

I see a bit of my high school self within Allison. She's not especially "goth", though she might listen to the music. She doesn't act like someone who fits into a clique, but like someone who doesn't think she's being watched. She says that her parents ignore her, and you can see that she's used to not being paid attention to. She does certain things seemingly without worry of being judged (biting her fingernails, eating a Pixie Stick & Cap'N Crunch sandwich, her drop-to-the-floor dance) or without knowing whether or not it's acceptable (the dandruff artwork). When the other four kids go off to smoke pot, she doesn't follow, and doesn't assume that it's alright to hang out with them without being told or asked to. When Claire gives her a make-over, she asks, "Why are you being so nice to me?" as if it's a strange thing.

At the same time as she doesn't expect attention, she also craves it. She communicates in weird squeals for a portion of the movie; she's a "compulsive liar" and says things that'll shock or impress (that she drinks vodka, and that Brian had the "beaver shot" in his wallet). She shows off Brian's wallet after stealing it, then dumps all of her bag's contents to display that she might "have to jam"; she wants people to ask questions, but at the same time doesn't. When someone, Andrew, starts to show interest in her life, she backs away, this probably being a rare occurance for her.

Claire's make-over, though cheesy, stripped Allison of the excessive make-up and clothing, her coverage, and helped her true self shine through. All of it was a way of hiding herself from others, and a little bit of kindness leads her to come out of her shell. Her quirky personality doesn't go away, as shown by her grabbing Andrew's wrestling badge, but Andy seems to like that in the first place.

The movie doesn't show what happens on Monday, when the kids return to school; we don't know which relationships last, or even if the kids will acknowledge each other's presences in front of their respective friends and cliques. I personally think that they do and will display some sort of awkward friendly feelings towards each other, leading to a massive clique break-down, a la "Mean Girls". I think Claire and Bender will have a torturous on-and-off relationship that won't last very long, but they'll have continuing feelings towards each other. Andy and Allison, both being reserved people, will last longer and stay friends afterwards. Allison, having been alone all the time and learning to be an independent free-thinker, will teach Andy to think more for himself and not be controlled by his father and wrestler friends. Brian will find a girlfriend eventually, and if not soon, he'll grow up to be one of those rich geek geniuses, and he'll marry a blonde Swedish model anyway. :p Or he could turn out completely hunky like Anthony Michael Hall nowadays.

I think it's interesting that Allison's one of the more popular characters from the movie, being that there aren't so many Allisons, the ones who are admittedly friendless, in the average high school. But her on-display emotional isolation is easily identifiable for many "You don't understand me!" teenagers, including the ones that would've snubbed Allison if she were in their actual class. Her free attitude, in which she does and says every and anything she wants, is also enviable for many. Her casual-goth look can also be taken into account (goth was pretty hip not too long ago). For these same reasons, this is also why Bender is such a popular character.

I personally like her for her mad dandruff-ing. I admire that.

Link:
Vanity, Insecurity - The Breakfast Club (a fansite)
"The Neo-Maxi-Zoomdweebie Page", a fansite where I got some pictures from.