Reach the Rock (1998)

Although John Hughes (The Breakfast Club) wrote and produced this movie, don't expect precocious kids or humorous high jinks. In fact, a wry smile is about the most this earnest drama wants from a viewer in the humor department. Set in a small town and taking place during one night, it's the story of a smart loser (Face/Off's Alessandro Nivola) who intentionally gets himself locked up in order to torment his police officer jailer (William Sadler). Director William Ryan gives this 100-minute film a stage-play feel by keeping the set simple--mostly a local jail with some action on the town's main street--and the cast small. It may have a modern-day setting, but Reach the Rock has a period feel to it, recalling a time when which side of the tracks you lived on meant everything and breaking a window resulted in a night behind bars. --Kimberly Heinrichs Amazon.com

The Breakfast Club: Part Two

John Hughes must've been enamoured of the batch of naval-gazing indie/slacker dramas of the early-to-mid 90's when he made his own contribution to the nascent genre with this low-key affair. The most interesting element of it, is it seems a re-tooled version of a sequel of sorts to "The Breakfast Club", in that the story revolves around a John Bender-type of troublemaker--still stuck in a dead-end town, as well as the dead-end role of town outcast. Time has passed him by, and when Brooke Langton, in the surrogate Molly Ringwald role, shows up to let him know in no uncertain terms that the roughneck schtick no longer flies with her, we see this could have been how the Bender/Claire relationship was ultimately to have played out. Interesting as well, is the fact that the monied, North Shore suburb of Shermer seems to have fallen on hard times; no longer a comforting sea of green lawns, there's a pall of desperation that has been settled over it, and our hero's life as well. Hughes seems to have wanted to go deeper with the material this time, but it's pretty much a talky, stagy kitchen-sink drama that, like the main character, never charms the way Hughes used to. It's a compelling curio for the fact that A. It feels as if you're getting a glimpse of what "Breakfast Club II" might've looked like, and B. That it's probably Hughes' least known film (with the exception of his early 80's pirate film "Nate and Hayes"...) It's
fascinating to see how Hughes was trying to connect again with the teen audience he had cultivated in the last decade, as they were now in their 20's, cynical and in a kind of existential funk. But what the movie does that is unforgivable, in the end, is that it casts a dark shadow over this sleepy little Rockwell-esque hamlet where zeroes could become heroes when they create their own woman, a geek could get a girl to lend him her panties, a clever little kid could hold down the fort and fight off burglars when he's suddenly left home alone, Duckie could get a date for the prom, Uncle Buck could make spectacularly large pancakes, and The Griswolds, Neil Page, and Dutch could return from disasterous road trips to find their idyllic little town a comforting refuge from the big bad outside world. Unless you were Mr. Rooney, of course. He would never rest until he was able to get one over on...BUELLER..... February 3, 2008

A COMEDY/DRAMA MASTERPIECE!!!!!

Yet another masterpiece from John Hughes. I have always had a lot of respect for John Hughes and there are a number of films that I enjoyed. This film I have seen many times and I like it more every time I see it. It is pretty twisted and hard to predict, however it has a powerful story behind it. A story about mistakes and getting a second chance at making a new beginning!! If you haven't seen it, please do!! Allessandro Nivola is a great actor and he was wonderful in this film!!!
I highly recommend it!!! November 23, 2001

Excellent acting, disappointing editing and cinematography

This is a film that could have been great. The fact that it is merely fair is by no means a reflection on the cast or on the script -- both are top-notch. It's intelligent, literate, and each performance shines. Unfortunately, it falls apart in what I can only assume is the most uninspired film editing and cinematography I've ever seen. Which is a crying shame, because this film could have been absolutely remarkable. As it is, it's still worth watching for the actors and script. May 7, 2001

Funny and Clever

I thought that this movie had a good plot idea and was acted pretty well by the actors. There were funny parts and serious parts. Good for ages 13 and up, it kept me guessing, laughing, and interested. Some parts were a little unbelievable ( a cop can't be THAT stupid, can he?) but I liked it very much. Worth checking out. December 14, 2000

The music was above and beyond the call of duty.

The characters were unlikeable and the set looked low budget. The thing that stands out like a sore thumb was McEntire's soundtrack. It's too bad John McEntire and his click got stuck making music for such a dull nineties flick. November 16, 1999

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