During the 1980s, a group of young, talented, attractive actors played the parts of young adults living in the world. They were labeled the Brat Pack, notably a play on words from the Rat Pack musical group from the 1950s and 60s. The lineup included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop, Shirley MacLaine, and Angie Dickinson. In 2024, one of the tried-and-true Brat Pack members, Andrew McCarthy, is going around the country, interviewing his old co-stars from the past.
Who was in the Brat Pack Group?
One notable takeaway from the trailer is what lies within the group. They did not want to be associated with or even be a part of this so-called group. The infamous stars included in this Hollywood starlit team were Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Ally Sheedy, and Demi Moore. Coined by New York journalist Kevin Blum, the unofficial group was labeled as a “roving band of famous young stars on the prowl for parties, women, and a good time.” As such, none of the actors particularly cared for the label.
Blum’s main point came from his argument that “For one of the pack, [failure] is a mortal sin—because what makes you a member, what makes you a Brat, is the ability to be in a position where Hollywood needs you more than you need Hollywood.” Although popular, these actors had their share of fatal flaws, being living and breathing human beings. Most of the actors listed in the Brat Pack were either subjected to substance dependency in their early twenties and other nefarious scandals, displaying a wild persona.
With all this in mind, the Brat Pack resembled the likes of the original creators of the name, the Rat Pack group, who had similar stories of sex, drugs, and alcohol abuse.
What’s Going to Be in the Brat Documentary?
In McCarthy’s documentary Brats, he discusses the feelings of Lowe, Estevez, Moore, Sheedy, and possibly the rest of the group. Additionally, McCarthy will speak with actors who were not exactly Brat Pack members but were considered adjacent, like Lea Thompson, infamous for her performance in the Back to the Future series. Regardless of the feelings within the group, they have since progressed their careers in different ways, whether staying in the limelight like Lowe and Moore or stepping back like Sheedy.
The Brats movie will be released in the USA on June 13, 2024, on Hulu.