Summary
John Hughes’ movies tell separate stories, but there’s one hidden detail in one of his most popular movies that connects it to another one of his biggest hits, confirming they are part of the same universe. The 1980s was a great decade for rom-coms and teen movies, in big part thanks tothe works of John Hughesas both writer and director. Hughes’ legacy is some of the most popular coming-of-age teen comedies of the 1980s which are now considered classics, among them the 1985 movieThe Breakfast Club, which made way forthe “Brat Pack”.
The Breakfast Clubfollows five high school students – Brian (Anthony Michael Hall), Claire (Molly Ringwald), Andrew (Emilio Estevez), Allison (Ally Sheedy), and John Bender (Judd Nelson) – from different school cliques who are serving a Saturday detention. Despite their differences, the group ends up bonding and realizing they have more in common than they thought, and they leave detention with new perspectives and friendships. AlthoughThe Breakfast Clubis its own story, there’s one shared detail with another very popular Hughes teen movie that makes them part of the same universe.
Why The Breakfast Club Is Rated R
John Hughes' The Breakfast Club might not seem like a movie that should have an R-rating, but there are strong reasons to grant it such rating.
The Breakfast Club & Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Are Set In The Same School
The very first shot inThe Breakfast Clubshows the outside of the school the group is about to spend the whole day at, and it’s Shermer High School.
A year afterThe Breakfast Clubwas released, Hughes brought the teen comedyFerris Bueller’s Day Off. Starring Matthew Broderick as high school slacker Ferris Bueller, the movie follows him as he skips school for a day with his girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara) and his best friend Cameron (Alan Ruck), with whom he gets into all types of fun situations that could potentially go terribly – but Ferris is a very lucky guy.Ferris Bueller’s Day Offwas a critical and commercial success, with critics praising Broderick’s performance and the movie’s overall tone and sense of humor.
InFerris Bueller’s Day Off, after Ferris calls Cameron, the movie cuts to the school they attend, and there’s a banner that says “Go Shermer”.
AlthoughThe Breakfast ClubandFerris Bueller’s Day Offtell different stories, one detail in the latter shows both movies are set in the same school. The very first shot inThe Breakfast Clubshows the outside of the school the group is about to spend the whole day at, and it’s Shermer High School. InFerris Bueller’s Day Off, after Ferris calls Cameron, the movie cuts to the school they attend, and there’s a banner that says “Go Shermer”.The Breakfast ClubandFerris Bueller’s Day Off, then, are part of the same universe of John Hughes movies.
Could The Breakfast Club & Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Characters Have Known Each Other?
Sharing A Universe Might Not Mean That The Characters Know Each Other
During the events of his movie, Ferris Bueller was a high school senior, but it’s unknown what grade the characters fromThe Breakfast Clubwere in.
The biggest question raised byThe Breakfast ClubandFerris Bueller’s Day Offliving in the same universe is whether the characters knew each other or not. During the events of his movie, Ferris Bueller was a high school senior, but it’s unknown what grade the characters fromThe Breakfast Clubwere in. It’s important to remember thatFerris Bueller’s Day Offwas released a year afterThe Breakfast Club, so if Bender and company were seniors during the events of their movie, they probably didn’t know Ferris – however,Ferris was quite popular, so they could have, at least, known who he was.
While there’s no known connection between the characters ofThe Breakfast ClubandFerris Bueller’s Day Offbeyond attending the same school, Hughes toldPremierein 1999 (viaBuzzFeed) that Ferris knew a character from another teen comedy of his.Hughes said Ferris Bueller knew Samantha Baker fromSixteen Candles, who was a sophomore during the events of her movie.Sixteen Candleswas released in 1984, so it makes sense that she and Ferris would know each other. In that same interview, Hughes saidThe Breakfast Club’s John Bender lived two doors away from Del Griffith fromPlanes, Trains & Automobiles.
A populartheory saysFerris Bueller’s Day Offtook place on August 16, 2025, while the events ofThe Breakfast Clubhappened two days later. If the characters in the latter were seniors and the theory is correct, then Ferris, Bender, Claire, Andrew, Brian, and Allison might have shared some classes. Whether these characters ever met or not is up to every viewer to decide, but what’s for sure is that they attended the same school.
The Breakfast Club
After receiving detention, a group of five high-school students bonds as they realize they have quite a bit in common despite being from different friend groups. Despite being over 35 years old, The Breakfast Club still stands as one of the quintessential movies of the ‘80s and one of director John Hughes standout films.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
John Hughes' comedy classic Ferris Bueler’s Day off follows the titular high schooler, a self-assured, charming young man who wants a day off. Going to unheard-of lengths to secure that day for himself, his girlfriend, and his best friend, he conjures up the ultimate scheme to get them out of school. However, his sister and principal are confident he’s up to no good, and his principal will embark on an equally overblown quest to expose Ferris' truancy.
