Brat Pack (movies)

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For other uses, see Brat Pack.

The Brat Pack is a nickname given to a group of young actors and actresses who frequently appeared together in teen-oriented coming-of-age films in the 1980s. The movies made frequent use of adolescent archetypes, were often set in the suburbs surrounding Chicago, and focused on white, middle-class teenage angst.[1][2] The term, a play on the Rat Pack from the late 1950s, was first popularized in a 1985 New York Magazine cover story, which described a group of roughly interchangeable, but already highly successful and rich, teen stars.[3] The name, sometimes used in a pejorative sense,[4] was not known to be used by members of the group.[5] The group has been characterized by the excessive partying of core members such as Rob Lowe, Judd Nelson and Emilio Estevez,[6] while their films have been described as representative of "the socially apathetic, cynical, money-possessed and ideologically barren eighties generation."[7]

Contents

[edit] Membership

The list of actors considered members is, to some degree, a matter of opinion, with the most popular roster consisting of Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy.[1][2][8][9] Appearance in one, or both, of the ensemble casts of John Hughes' The Breakfast Club and Joel Schumacher's St. Elmo's Fire is usually cited as a prerequisite for being a core Brat Pack member.[10][11] Conspicuously absent from most lists is Mare Winningham, the only principal member of either cast who never starred in any other films with any other cast mates.[5]

The initial New York Magazine article covered a group of actors much larger than the currently understood meaning of the phrase "Brat Pack". For example, most of the cast of The Outsiders (including Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, C. Thomas Howell, and Ralph Macchio, none of whom starred in any other 1980s movies with any other core Brat Packers) are mentioned, along with Matthew Broderick and Sean Penn.[3] Charlie Sheen is included in several lists more for his relationship to Brat Pack leader Emilio Estevez and his partying behavior than for his collaborative film work with other members.[5] James Spader and Robert Downey, Jr. have also been considered members and appeared in several films alongside other Brat Packers, most notably together with Andrew McCarthy in Less Than Zero.[7] Other actors who have been linked with the group include Jon Cryer, John Cusack, Kevin Bacon, Jami Gertz, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Kiefer Sutherland.[1][8] Through frequent collaborative work, actor Harry Dean Stanton, then in his late 50s, became a mentor for the group of young actors.[6]

[edit] Filmography

Beyond the two primary films, the list of movies that are considered "Brat Pack" movies is as fluid as its list of members. The list of movies below represents the traditional filmography, with each movie including at least two members in starring roles. One notable exclusion is Weird Science, which starred only one member, but was directed by John Hughes and is included in a Universal Studios "Brat Pack" box set.[12]

Actor →
↓ Movie		 Emilio Estevez Anthony Michael Hall Rob Lowe Andrew McCarthy Demi Moore Judd Nelson Molly Ringwald Ally Sheedy Close contributors
The Outsiders
(1983)		 Keith "Two-Bit" Mathews Sodapop Patrick Curtis Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell, Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise
Class
(1983)		 Franklin 'Skip' Burroughs IV Jonathan Ogner John Cusack
Sixteen Candles
(1984)		 "Farmer Ted" Samantha Baker John Cusack, Jami Gertz
Oxford Blues
(1984)		 Nick De Angleo Rona
The Breakfast Club
(1985)		 Andrew Clark Brian Johnson John Bender Claire Standish Allison Reynolds
St. Elmo's Fire
(1985)		 Kirby Keger Billy Hicks Kevin Dolenz Jules Jacoby Alec Newbury Leslie Hunter Mare Winningham
Pretty in Pink
(1986)		 Blane McDonnagh Andie Walsh Jon Cryer, James Spader
Blue City
(1986)		 Billy Turner Annie Rayford
About Last Night...
(1986)		 Danny Martin Debbie Sullivan
Wisdom
(1986)		 John Wisdom Karen Simmons
Fresh Horses
(1988)		 Matt Larkin Jewel
Betsy's Wedding
(1990)		 Betsy Hopper Connie Hopper

Other 1980s films, with similar coming-of-age themes, that starred only one core Brat Pack actor with one or more close contributors include:

  • WarGames (1983) with Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy.
  • Bad Boys (1983) with Sean Penn and Ally Sheedy.
  • No Small Affair (1984) with Jon Cryer and Demi Moore.
  • Weird Science (1985) with Anthony Michael Hall and Robert Downey, Jr.
  • Heaven Help Us (1985) with Andrew McCarthy and Mary Stuart Masterson.
  • One Crazy Summer (1986) with John Cusack and Demi Moore.
  • Youngblood (1986) with Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze.
  • The Pick-up Artist (1987) with Molly Ringwald and Robert Downey Jr.
  • Less Than Zero (1987) with Andrew McCarthy, Jami Gertz, Robert Downey Jr., and James Spader.
  • Mannequin (1987) with Andrew McCarthy and James Spader.
  • Johnny Be Good (1988) with Anthony Michael Hall and Robert Downey Jr.
  • Young Guns (1988) with Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, and Kiefer Sutherland.
  • We're No Angels (1989) with Sean Penn and Demi Moore.
  • Ghost (1990) with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore.
  • Young Guns II (1990) with Emilio Estevez and Kiefer Sutherland.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Lurie, Karen (2002). "Brat Pack". St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. Gale Group. 
  2. ^ a b Horwitz, Laura. The Brat Pack: 80's Icons. Retrieved on 2008-03-28.
  3. ^ a b Blum, David (June 10 1985). "Hollywood's Brat Pack". New York Magazine: 40-47. 
  4. ^ Skow, John (May 26 1986). "Greetings to the Class of '86". Time Magazine. “...the group of kinda talented, kinda famous young actors somewhat unfairly called the Brat Pack.” 
  5. ^ a b c Pulver, Andrew; Steven Paul Davies. Brat Pack Confidential: The Players. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
  6. ^ a b Pulver, Andrew; Steven Paul Davies (December 2000). "The year of the brat". The Guardian. 
  7. ^ a b Manning, Jason (2000). 13. The Brat Pack. Material Things. The Eighties Club. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  8. ^ a b Currie, Jamie (2003). The Brat Pack Site. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  9. ^ The Brat Pack: The E! True Hollywood Story. Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
  10. ^ Pulver, Andrew; Steven Paul Davies (2000). Brat Pack: Confidential. B T Batsford. ISBN 0713486856. 
  11. ^ Eaton, Andrew (2007-01-20). "For a short time they were on fire, then they vanished into obscurity. Whatever happened to the Brat Pack of the 1980s?". 
  12. ^ Amazon.com: Brat Pack Collection (The Breakfast Club/ Sixteen Candles/ Weird Science)