2. The Breakfast Club
Arguably the greatest high school film ever made as well as one of the defining teen movies of the 1980s, The Breakfast Club lives on because of the purety of its writer/director John Hughes' vision, that of five high schoolers, all from different backgrounds- the jock, Andrew (Emilio Estevez), the princess, Claire (Molly Ringwold), the brain, Brian (Anthony Michael Hall), the basket case, Alison (Ally Sheedy), and the criminal, John Bender (Judd Nelson)- who through one Saturday in detention come to realize they're more than their respective stereotypes would indicate. It's this simplicity that makes the film so universal and so poignant. We all wish we had a high school experience like this one, where our eyes and hearts were truly opened to how complicated those we think we know really are. As these kids learn more about each other, we come to sympathize and love them more, and really wish we could be part of their club. There were talks of possible sequels to The Breakfast Club but these films never materialized. I think that's for the best. As with A Hard Day's Night, having these characters forever young makes them purer and allows us to create our own versions of their futures.