Andrew McCarthy now embraces the Brat Pack and even grows to adore them. It’s been a journey, though.
The actor from “Pretty in Pink” and “St. Elmo’s Fire” sneered for years at the idea of being associated with the unwavering label that was applied to a group of up-and-coming young stars in the 1980s. However, McCarthy sets out on a quest to find other permanently branded members—stars like Demi Moore, Ally Sheedy, Rob Lowe, and Emilio Estevez—to talk about the Brat Pack in his new Hulu documentary “Brats,” which will be available for streaming on Thursday.
Only a small number of us were affected by this, and we are the only ones who can relate to how it felt. Director McCarthy, 61, tells USA TODAY of his “Brats” conversations with co-stars he hadn’t spoken to in decades, but “we never talked about it.” “We have something really profound that happened in our lives, and they were willing to talk to me about it on camera.”
How in ‘Brats’ did Andrew McCarthy manage to get the Brat Pack to communicate?
McCarthy starts “Brats” by contacting the Brat Pack through old acquaintances, even managing to get Judd Nelson’s phone number. McCarthy places the first-ever recorded phone call to Estevez, who was featured in a caustic 1985 cover story for New York Magazine that gave rise to the phrase “Brat Pack.”
McCarthy describes the iconic article as “making me feel like I had lost the narrative of my career overnight.” A few weeks later, the ensemble film “St. Elmo’s Fire,” starring Estevez, Moore, Sheedy, Lowe, and Nelson, became the hot topic of the Brat Pack craze.
The members of the Brat Pack didn’t hang out, despite popular belief, especially after the piece was published. They also didn’t stay in contact. McCarthy’s initial cold calls to “Brats” are frank. A lot reach voicemail.
It’s the first time I’ve called someone in over thirty years. But then, McCarthy says, ‘Let’s give Emilio a call. “I wanted the audience to accompany me on this adventure. I initially come out as nervous and cautious.
In “Brats,” McCarthy and Estevez, 62, have their first in-person meeting since the film’s premiere, which takes place at his Malibu house. Estevez’s previous statement that “Brat Pack will be on my tombstone” comes up in discussion; he still accepts and believes it. Furthermore disclosed by the “Young Guns” actor is his refusal to appear in films featuring McCarthy and the others because he felt that they were “kryptonite to each other.”
McCarthy describes Emilio as really moving during their conversation before they gave each other a hug.
Through a series of interviews with Lowe, Sheedy, and Moore (whom he refers to as “the Obi-Wan Kenobi of my film”), McCarthy delves into the convoluted past of the Brat Pack and the arduous journey towards recognising their common past.
“Everyone began at the same place: they all detested it when it occurred. And then, each person’s development towards it has been unique over time, according to McCarthy. However, we never discussed it since, as soon as it occurred, those ties fell apart and the group films ceased. Nobody desired to star in a film with each other. In a sense, the Brat Pack was terminated by their very name.”
Are Judd Nelson and Molly Ringwald costarring in “Brats”?
A mainstay of the Brat Pack collection, John Hughes’ 1985 picture “The Breakfast Club” stars Molly Ringwald, Sheedy, Nelson, and Estevez. In the end, the latter two celebrities declined to participate in “Brats” interviews.
McCarthy explains, “We asked Molly and we asked Judd.” “It didn’t work out.”
McCarthy battling Nelson—talking to him on the phone, leaving messages, and flying to Los Angeles just to discover that Nelson is out of town—is a common “Brats” subject.
And then, at last, at last, (Nelson) said, ‘You know what? I’m not in the mood to do it. Which is all OK,” remarks McCarthy, pointing out that “very insightful” archival interviews with Nelson and Ringwald make an appearance in “Brats.”
It hurts to watch the old film of the performers being questioned about the term “derivative” in interviews.
“During the first two months or thereabouts, the Brat Pack is discussed constantly. McCarthy claims that “we’re responding to it by twitching and cringing a lot.” “Apparently, the publicist for each person said, ‘No Brat Pack questions.'” Everyone is then inquiring about it without utilising the two words. Which is incredibly awkward because that was obviously not allowed. However, that also didn’t work.”
McCarthy expands on his understanding of why audiences looked to these actors during the youth-movie explosion the Brat Pack launched through the “Brats” interviews, which feature pop-culture social scientist Malcolm Gladwell.
“The people realised this was fantastic pretty quickly. “These guys speak for us,” says McCarthy. “So they understood something we didn’t at the beginning.”
39 years after the piece was published, people are still chatting about the Brat Pack and sharing stories with McCarthy on the streets of New York City, where he currently resides. He embraces these conversations with gratitude in his heart.
“We’re all going from, ‘What the heck was all that?’ to, ‘Wow, that was a lovely thing,’ after watching this movie. We represent the youth of a generation. Nothing would change for me in this world. However, I would have thought you were crazy if you had told me that thirty years ago.”
McCarthy, like Estevez, is certain that the Brat Pack will go with him after this life.
“The first sentence will contain the obituary, if there is one. Just play. The good news is that I can now live with that. I’ll accept that, that’s how it is.