Many critics have bemoaned the entertainment industry's lack of originality. Every year, studios churn out sequels and remakes with the idea of making a quick buck. Most of these are harmless- some reinterpret the original (Tim Burton's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory), while some go as far as copying the predecessor shot-for-shot (John Moore's The Omen). But the general rule is that the true classics are off limits- imagine the uproar if a remake was announced of The Godfather or Casblanca.
Bumped Goes to the Breakfast Club
Well, to those opposed to seeing their favorite films in the hands of new artists: brace yourselves. According to this Hollywood Reporter article, Bumped will depict five young adults of different backgrounds who meet at an airport when their flight is cancelled. The film is reportedly planned to be a "modern reinterpretation" of John Hughes' The Breakfast Club. While not a straight remake, the structure of the film is basically the same. The project will be helmed by Anna Mastro, a "protege" of director McG (Charlie's Angels).
The Breakfast Club is considered by many to be an absolute classic. Entertainment Weekly ranked it as the best high school movie of all time. No film quite captures the different backgrounds and elements of the high school social system. While many look back at the film as defining their generation, the film has stood the test of time and found a modern audience as well.
Is Hollywood really so starved for ideas that they have to resort to something like this? Sure, there are differences- the setting and the characters have been changed. But the idea is exactly the same. Can't we do better than "Breakfast Club at an airport?" What's next? A remake of Ferris Bueller's Day Off where he ditches work instead of school?
Don't Mess With the Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club is the perfect example of a movie that should never be tampered with. John Hughes had the unique ability to tackle important themes in a light-yet-serious kind of way. In the hands of someone who is a proven master at the comedy-drama style, like Wes Anderson, the project might go in an interesting direction. But considering director Anna Mastro is the producer of the TV series "Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search For The Next Doll," somehow it doesn't seem like this reinterpretation will be especially intellectually stimulating.
Still, at least Bumped isn't planning on recasting Judd Nelson and building a high school library set. But it seems like the general idea of people unexpectedly meeting after a cancelled flight could be easily pulled off without stepping on Hughes' toes. There's no need to retread on sacred ground. Unless, of course, this is a calculated move to get moviegoers to pay for a movie they've already seen. But the entertainment industry wouldn't do that... would they?
