Ethan Brooks
In the 1985 film The Breakfast Club, the character Allison Reynolds, played by Ally Sheedy, is referred to as the basket case. This is due to her strange behaviour, such as pouring pixie sticks onto her sandwich, and her social isolation. Allison is a shy and lonely girl at Shermer High School who is driven to lying and stealing due to her neglectful parents. She is the most open of the five students in detention and undergoes the most notable changes, making steps toward coming of age.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the character | Allison Reynolds |
| Nickname | Basket Case |
| Actor | Ally Sheedy |
| Age of the actor | 22 |
| School | Shermer High School |
| Social status | A withdrawn loner |
| Parents | Emotionally denying and abusive |
| Friends | Andy |
| Other names auditioned for the role | Molly Ringwald |
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What You'll Learn
Allison Reynolds is the basket case
In the 1985 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film The Breakfast Club, Allison Reynolds, played by Ally Sheedy, is referred to as "the basket case". The film follows five high school students from different social cliques who spend a Saturday in detention, gradually revealing their inner struggles and forming unexpected bonds. Allison is a compulsive liar and a thief, and her behaviour is considered bizarre, such as using dandruff in her hair as snow on her drawings and pouring pixie sticks onto her sandwich. She is highly disconnected in social situations and has emotionally denying and abusive parents.
Despite her strange behaviour, Allison is the most open and least judgmental of the group, and she gains friends among her fellow detainees. She undergoes the most notable changes throughout the film, taking steps towards maturity and understanding social norms. Her makeover represents this growth and gives her a feeling of self-worth. Allison is also the most reluctant to come of age, reflecting the hatred she feels towards her neglectful parents. She is unafraid of being different and does not aim to fit in, but she finds a place where she belongs with the Breakfast Club.
One of the film's most famous lines is delivered by Allison: "When you grow up, your heart dies." This line showcases her reluctance to grow up and her unique perspective on life. Allison's character provides an important perspective on the nature of friendship, personal and social identity, and the various facets of inner psychology. She is a key part of the film's message that, despite our differences, we all share common traits and experiences that make us who we are.
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She is a compulsive liar and thief
In the 1985 film The Breakfast Club, Allison Reynolds, played by Ally Sheedy, is referred to as "the basket case". She is a compulsive liar and a thief. Her character is a withdrawn loner, with quirky and bizarre behaviour, such as using dandruff in her hair as snow on her drawings and pouring pixie sticks onto her sandwich. She also ties a string extremely tightly around her finger and stands around coolly while the other characters panic.
Allison's behaviour can be attributed to her family life. She has emotionally denying and abusive parents, which may have resulted in co-dependency issues. Her parents' neglect has also caused her to develop a sense of reluctance to come of age, as reflected in her famous line: "When you grow up, your heart dies."
Despite her strange behaviour, Allison is unafraid of being different and does not aim to fit in. She is the most open and least judgmental of the group, and her honesty helps her gain friends. Through the support of the Breakfast Club members, Allison begins to mature and understand social norms. She also receives beauty tips from Claire, which gives her a feeling of self-worth and helps curb her kleptomania and compulsive lying.
Allison's character represents the idea that everyone is a "basket case" in their own unique way. We all have our own social awkwardness and neuroses, and we long to be seen and understood. Despite her struggles, Allison undergoes the most notable character development in the film, taking huge leaps in overcoming her mental problems.
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She is the most open and least judgemental
In the 1985 film The Breakfast Club, Allison Reynolds, played by Ally Sheedy, is known as the "basket case". Allison is a compulsive liar and a thief, and her behaviour is considered bizarre by her peers. She is a withdrawn loner, and her social awkwardness is reflected in her actions, such as using dandruff in her hair as snow for her drawings.
Despite her strange behaviour, Allison is the most open and least judgemental of the Breakfast Club members. She is unafraid of being herself and does not care about peer judgement. She is desperate to be heard, and her actions, such as pouring her purse contents onto the table, stem from boredom and loneliness. When the other members of the Breakfast Club show her kindness and friendship, she begins to mature and understand social norms. She curbs her kleptomania and lying, and her famous line, "When you grow up, your heart dies," reflects her reluctance to come of age and her feelings towards her neglectful parents.
Allison is also the furthest along in her journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance. She undergoes the most notable changes throughout the film, with her makeover representing her growth in maturity and self-worth. She is able to see through the falsehoods of the other characters, and her dreams of travelling and being seen and accepted reflect a deeper understanding of herself and her place in the world.
The character of Allison Reynolds in The Breakfast Club serves as a reminder that everyone has their own unique struggles and that labels and stereotypes can be misleading. Her openness and lack of judgement allow her to form unexpected bonds with her peers and challenge the preconceived notions of those around her.
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She is the weirdo of the group
In the 1985 film The Breakfast Club, Allison Reynolds, played by Ally Sheedy, is referred to as the "basket case". She is the weirdo of the group, a withdrawn loner with strange behaviourisms and a compulsive liar and thief. She ties a string extremely tight around her finger, stands around coolly while the rest of the Breakfast Club runs around frantically, and pours pixie sticks onto her sandwich. She is unafraid of being different and does not aim to fit in.
Allison is the most open of the five students, and during their heart-to-heart, she states, "When you grow up, your heart dies," reflecting the hatred she feels towards her neglectful parents. She is also the most open and least judgmental during the group's session of soul-bearing. She gains friends among her fellow detainees, especially Andy, and begins to mature and understand social norms. The love and care they show her, such as the beauty tips Claire lends her, gives Allison a feeling of self-worth and helps her develop into a better person.
Based on research by Mental Health America, Allison may also suffer from co-dependency due to her emotionally denying and abusive parents. She is on her way to treating this illness by taking the first steps of rediscovering herself and identifying her self-depreciating behaviours. Of all the Breakfast Club members, Allison undergoes the most notable changes. Her makeover represents her growth in maturity and feeling of self-worth.
Allison is a unique character who does not conform to the social norms of her peers. She is comfortable with her quirks and does not care about peer judgement. Her character provides an important message about friendship, personal and social identity, and the various facets and tensions of inner psychology.
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She is a kleptomaniac and a potential runaway
In the 1985 film The Breakfast Club, Allison Reynolds, played by Ally Sheedy, is referred to as the "basket case" of the group. Allison is a compulsive liar and a thief, and her behaviour is considered strange and eccentric by her peers. She is also a kleptomaniac and a potential runaway, with dreams of travelling and being seen and accepted. She is socially awkward and neurotic, and her family life has impacted her behaviour.
Throughout the film, Allison undergoes notable changes and is the furthest along in the coming-of-age process out of all the Breakfast Club members. She gains friends, particularly Andy, and begins to understand social norms. The love and care shown to her by the group, such as the beauty tips offered by Claire, give Allison a sense of self-worth and help curb her kleptomania and compulsive lying.
Allison's character represents the idea that each of us is a "basket case" in our own unique way, with our own social awkwardness and neuroses. Her potential as a runaway also reflects the part of ourselves that just wants to run away and hide, feeling ignored yet longing to be seen.
The film ends with the group agreeing to let Brian, played by Anthony Michael Hall, write an essay challenging the notion that they each fit into a stereotype. Instead, he argues that they all share the inner traits of "a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal". This conclusion highlights that despite their differences, the characters are not so dissimilar after all.
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Frequently asked questions
Allison Reynolds, played by Ally Sheedy, is referred to as the "basket case" in The Breakfast Club.
Allison is a compulsive liar and a thief. She is also shy, withdrawn, and has disgusting personal habits. She is the most open and least judgemental of the Breakfast Club members.
By the end of the film, Allison has taken steps toward coming of age. She has also made friends among her fellow detainees and gained a feeling of self-worth.
