The Breakfast Club … a long, dark night of the soul on the 25th anniversary reunion

Once, long ago, in an era of big hair and tube socks, there existed a motion picture called The Breakfast Club. Thanks to the magic of cinema, the kids in the motion picture remained kids forever ... Photograph: Ronald Grant Archive

... while the actors who played them aged and withered. Here's Anthony Michael Hall, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy and Judd Nelson - teens no longer - at The Breakfast Club's 25th anniversary screening in New York Photograph: Steven Bergman/UK Press

And look, here they are as kids again, their whole lives ahead of them. The Breakfast Club, incidentally, was directed by John Hughes and concerned five trucculent, troublesome youths holed up in the library on a Saturday detention. Eventually, this being the movies, they learn to overcome their differences and stuff Photograph: Ronald Grant Archive

From here, we travel to the split-screen format, to mark how time has ravaged them. On the left, it's Molly Ringwald as prom queen Claire Standish. On the right, it's 21st-century Molly: older and possibly wiser too Photograph: Ronald Grant Archive and Steven Bergman/UK Press

Mid-80s Emilio Estevez turns to 2010 Emilio Estevez and judges him harshly. But 2010 Emilio Estevez flashes a victory sign in response. It is a gesture that says 'I'm still here at least. I still have my own hair and teeth, so what's the problem already?' This, however, is what is known as a pyrrhic victory Photograph: Kobal and Stephen Hird/Reuters

Sometimes, happily, age can bring joy and smiles as well as wrinkles, aching bones and a sour disposition. And liver spots. For example, the young Ally Sheedy looks like a wet weekend at Neurotics Anonymous, whereas the older Ally Sheedy is all sunshine and incisors. And not a liver spot in sight Photograph: Ronald Grant Archive and Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters

Regardez! Here is Anthony Michael Hall in 1985 mode as brainy Brian Johnson, while on the right his decaying face peers out at us with a tragic, accepting smile. Except that, incredibly, the Hall on the right looks even younger than the Hall on the left. This makes us wonder if he is ageing backwards, like Benjamin Button Photograph: Steven Bergman/UK Press and Ronald Grant Archive

Another one from the Button school of genetics. On the left we see Judd Nelson as thuggish, brooding John Bender, with his screw-you spectacles and attitudinous neck-tie. On the right, it's the Nelson of now: clear-skinned and healthy and celebrating life with his 20th cigarette of the night, and who can blame him, looking like he does? Photograph: Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters and Ronald Grant Archive

Way back in 1985, when The Breakfast Club first came out, its stars probably would have pushed the infant Kevin Smith out of his pram for laughs, or poked fun at him as he crawled desperately towards his potty. Now they are impelled to guffaw at his comedy sweatshirt in their desperate, despairing hunt for rewarding acting roles. Smith laughs along with him, but he will never forget that potty incident and his heart is cold Photograph: Steven Bergman/UK Press

So here they are again: Anthony Michael Hall, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy and Judd Nelson at the reunion, looking much as they did in picture-two even though they are now two-minutes older than they were back then .... three-minutes older than they were back then. Look at them. Look at them! They are ageing, ageing before our eyes Photograph: Steven Bergman/UK Press