John Hughes's The Breakfast Club has only seven main characters, and each is critical to the movie. However, John Bender's role is arguably the most significant role of all of them. Bender is the "criminal" of the group, he has more lines than anyone else in the movie, and his character is the orchestrator of most of the things that happen during their nine-hour Saturday detention. They would certainly have had a far less interesting time of it if Bender had not been there.
The part was played by Judd Nelson, and his depiction of the wisecracking, aggressive, and incredibly cool high school rebel is one of the most iconic roles in 1980s teen movies.
Bender Pokes Fun At What Mr. Vernon Is Wearing
"Does Barry Manilow know that you raid his wardrobe?"
After the movie's villain, Mr. Vernon explains the rules of detention, he asks if anyone has any questions. Bender responds with a quip about Vernon's dress sense and it costs him another Saturday in detention. He must have known that was the risk of his smart remarks as he's had run-ins with the vice-principal before.
It demonstrates that, to Bender, being subversive to those in authority - and making jokes at their expense - takes priority over his own self-interest. For all his wisecracking, Bender is a troubled young man with an abusive home life. Acting like the class clown is a defense mechanism that he uses repeatedly throughout the movie.
Bender Interacts With Carl The Janitor
"I just want to know how one becomes a janitor because Andrew here is very interested in pursuing a career in the custodial arts."
Bender isn't interested in the details of Carl's career path. He asks the question to embarrass Andrew and to kill time and he obviously wasn't expecting Carl's response that he is "the eyes and ears of this institution."
What's interesting about this scene in The Breakfast Club is Bender's reaction to Carl's speech. Bender might not have a lot of respect for authority figures, but he does give respect where it's due. Carl's an outsider, a rebel, and a smart guy, and his reply clearly both amused and impressed Bender.
Bender Persuades The Others To Go To His Locker
"Being bad feels pretty good, huh?"
The five students leave the library when they see Mr. Vernon exit his office. It turns out that they are on their way to retrieve Bender's marijuana stash from his locker. It doesn't actually make any sense that all five of them need to leave the room to do this as Bender could quite have easily retrieved his dope on his own.
When Claire asks questions about what they're doing, Bender responds by telling her that being bad feels pretty good. This is probably the best explanation for why the other four were willing to risk further detentions by leaving the library. They just fancied doing something bad.
Bender's Response When Andrew Says "Speak For Yourself"
"Do you think I'd speak for you? I don't even know your language."
Bender has some of the funniest lines and wittiest comebacks in the movie, and this is the perfect example of that. It showcases Bender's quick wit and is an amusing and smart way to put Andrew down.
It also highlights how, at this stage in the movie, Bender feels like he has nothing in common with an athlete like Andrew, to the extent that they may as well be talking different languages. This makes it all the more powerful when, later on, the walls come down as the characters get to know one another better.
Bender Tells Himself A Joke
"A naked blonde walks into a bar with a poodle under one arm and a two-foot salami under the other..."
After being locked in the storage closet by Vernon, Bender escapes by removing one of the ceiling tiles and crawling along the ceiling space. While doing this, he tries to steady his nerves by telling himself a joke. It's a great moment because it shows that Bender isn't completely fearless and that, appropriately, his distraction of choice is a bawdy, sexist joke.
Bender doesn't finish the joke because he falls through the ceiling, so many fans have wondered what the punchline is. Truthfully, there isn't one as the words here were adlibbed by Judd Nelson, and the joke will remain forever unfinished.
Bender Threatens Andrew During Their Fight
"It's real simple. I'd kill you, and your f***ing parents would sue me, and it'd be a big mess, and I don't care enough about you to bother."
Exasperated by Bender's goading of Claire, Andrew challenges him to a fight. Due to his wrestling expertise, Andrew quickly pins Bender to the floor. Bender says he didn't want to get into this because he'd end up killing Andrew.
Andrew assumes that this is cowardly posturing on Bender's part until Bender pulls out a knife. The fight ends there. It seems unlikely that Bender would have stabbed Andrew, but it's an unexpected move on Bender's part that proves he is not playing by the rules.
Bender Pretends The Library Door Shutting Was An Accident
"Screws fall out all the time. The world's an imperfect place."
At the start of the detention, the library door is open so Mr. Vernon can keep an eye on them from his office across the hall. In order to have a bit of freedom away from the gaze of the Vice-Principal, Bender removes a screw from the door so that it remains shut.
Vernon interrogates Bender insisting that he hand over the screw. Bender's insistence that he does not have it, along with his faux philosophical musing of the world's imperfections, just serve to infuriate Vernon, which was Bender's plan all along. Although this dialogue ends up with Vernon giving Bender two months' worth of detention, so Bender's smart-aleck remarks really don't do him any favors.
Bender Makes Fun Of Andrew
"I want to be just like you. I figure all I need is a lobotomy and some tights."
Many of Bender's best lines occur when he is making fun of other people. Bender has no respect for Andrew's wrestling skills, and his mean-spirited quip implies all athletes are stupid.
Andrew has no reason to care what Bender thinks, and yet, funnily enough, the comment strikes a nerve. When Brian asks about the tights, Andrew aggressively shuts him down. This remark demonstrates how Bender is an expert at getting under people's skin.
Bender Explains Why He Doesn't Have Any Lunch
"You're wearing it."
When the students have lunch, it becomes clear that Bender hasn't brought anything to eat with him. Claire asks Bender about this, and he says he doesn't have any lunch because she's "wearing it." It's a lewd response which he probably makes to distract Claire from her question.
Bender doesn't actually explain why he doesn't have any food. Given what the audience learns about Bender, it could be due to anything from his drug habit to his abusive home life. What's interesting here is that Bender doesn't go down the typical school bully route and steal anybody else's lunch. He just mocks their food choices and leaves it at that.
Bender Doubts Claire's Kiss
"You know how you said before, how your parents used you to get back at each other? Wouldn't I be outstanding in that capacity?"
Bender is obviously taken aback when Claire kisses him. His question about whether she might use him to get back at her parents shows his vulnerability. It suggests that he doesn't believe that a girl like Claire could like him just for him.
Many fans think that Bender doesn't deserve a girl like Claire. Not because he's poor and she's rich but because he has been relentlessly horrible to her throughout the day. He is clearly happy with this development, and perhaps his insightfulness here shows that he is capable of growth.
