culturing myself with movies, a distraction (pt 1)

i've begun watching 'classic' movies (and when i say classic, i mostly mean movies with a significant enough cultural impact that they're still referenced today) in order to understand cultural references that usually go over my head. it's mostly an exercise to (attempt) to be more socially knowledgeable. this is mostly going to be a series of me, a 25 year old doomer, reviewing and ranting about movies that i haven't seen (and by virtue of not seeing them, not understanding the cultural status or relevance of). recently, i watched...

• legally blonde 1+2
• the breakfast club

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starting with legally blonde, i found myself starting the movie somewhat cynical. the style was unapologetically kitsch, and the dialogue felt simple. i didn't expect myself to stay interested enough through the first movie, let alone be driven enough to watch the second. and yet, by the end i found myself appreciating the movie for what it was. it's an undeniably simple movie by premise and execution, but what it lacks in complexity it makes up for in enjoyability. it's a fun experience, and an easy to understand one. it's character driven and the overtly feminine theming was refreshing, especially because we're in a time where girly things are often seen as backwards-facing. legally blonde is a movie whose messaging is timeless and still relevant to today. femininity in it's most basic form, hot pinks, glitter, purse dogs... it's all in service of the simple yet effective message: you can be and do whatever you put your mind to, and you can do it while being cute. as someone who has resonated with girly things my entire life, it's nice to see a character who's as self sufficient as elle woods, without some grand transformation scene wherein she must shed her ditsy, fun side to accomplish her goals. all in all, a fun and straightforward watch. 
final rating: 6/10

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i'll be honest, i didn't really get the breakfast club. at least, not while watching the movie. while i liked the characters and the way they were slowly built over the course of the film, i found the meandering, slow pace and lack of real resolution puzzling. yes, the themes present are poignant and the discussion about whether the movie ends on a hopeful (the human ability to find common ground even in the most unlikely places among those you share nothing in common with) or hopeless (the fleeting nature of flimsy relationships brought about by chance circumstance rather than genuine connection) note is fun, when i attempted to find meaning beyond that i found myself lost. people constantly reference this movie and talk about how influential it is on modern pop culture, but when i was watching, i found myself continually waiting for the other boot to fall. it wasn't until discussing the movie with people i know who did see it when it came out that it made sense that at the time, the movie broke many stereotypes and was essentially a time capsule of the fashion, slang, attitude of the era. while i can respect it's legacy and how people feel about the breakfast club, as someone who's too young to truly understand it's importance, it doesn't hold up. also, allison was cuter before the makeover.
final rating: 5/10