 The Brat Pack |
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The eight core members of The Brat Pack were: Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy. They made many films together during the 80's, often under the supervision of John "Don't You Forget About Me!" Hughes and Joel "Bat Nipples Forever!" Schumacher. While there's several other actors considered as possible Brat Pack candidates (such as John Cusack), these are the eight that received the boldest spotlight as they rose to fame, sputtered and fell, then (in some cases) rose back up again.
Justin's Guide is here to give you a handshake introduction to each of these pretty souls and cover some of their brightest moments of 80's glory.
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Before he was "The Mighty Ducks Guy", Emilio actually had a career. Son of actor Martin Sheen and brother of Charlie (as we call him, "Chuckie") Sheen, Emilio made the 80's his bishie. His presence in The Breakfast Club, Young Guns and St. Elmo's Fire connected him to The Brat Pack name, but he also was recognized for the cult hit Repo Man and the Stakeout films.
We'd label Emilio as The Intense Young Man Who's Not Really Threatening, But Is Certainly Willing To Wrestle You On The Spot.
After his decision to sell out to the Duck, Emilio more or less faded away into obscurity, only to be remembered by those trying to get into The Roxbury. "EMILIOOOOOO!"
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Anthony Michael Hall, aka "The Nerd", began his career as Rusty, the most lovable Griswald in National Lampoon's Vacation. This young awkward teen featured strongly in three of John Hughes' films: Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and Weird Science. Many people cite Hall as their favorite character from these movies, because nerds do rule, of course.
It's a shame that he decided to pull out of his Brat Pack role, declining the part of Cameron in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and instead fizzling with a handful of bombs (although Edward Scissorhands was an uptick for him) and little work through the 90's. We also will never forgive him for being one of the people idiotic enough to do a cameo role for Freddy Got Fingered. Hall's comeback came when he decided to do The Dead Zone, a TV series based on the book and movie by Stephen King, which became a mild hit.
Currently, he keeps Judd Nelson's weed stuffed down his pants.
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It seemed that Rob Lowe was destined to be a public joke. After his Brat Pack fame came one of the most notorious crash-and-burn scenarios: a scandal including a sex tape with a minor and numerous drug problems. But The Outsiders and St. Elmo's Fire star somehow clawed his way back up and became far more famous in the following decades than he ever was in the 80's.
After a reunion with fellow Brat Packer Molly Ringwald in The Stand, Lowe found his calling as an evil comedic foil (Wayne's World, Tommy Boy) and gained considerable prestige with his role on TV's The West Wing.
"Brothers don't shake hands! Brothers gotta HUG!"
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It's hard to sum up McCarthy other than to label him "low fat"; in any role he's in, McCarthy brings a softer, more mellow presence to, whether it be as a romantic interest or a comedy lead. St. Elmo's Fire and Pretty In Pink made him the monstrous killing machine he is today... er, at least an official Brat Packer.
But we'd be remiss if we didn't point out that McCarthy went on to produce a small string of non-offensive comedies, such as Mannequin and Weekend at Bernie's, before completely fading out of sight.
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Her voice is deeper than mine by a factor of 10. She has a fixation for appearing nude, both pregnant (on the cover of Vanity Fair) and in films (such as the Oscar-winning Striptease). She was engaged to Emilio Estevez. We won't hold any of this against her.
For a Brat Packer, Demi's done very well for herself. Although only St. Elmo's Fire really connected her with The Brat Pack, it stuck with her long after the rest of her co-stars were applying for unemployment. She became one of the highest-paid actresses in the 90's, with hits like Ghost and A Few Good Men. Lissa also thinks she's hot.
"If this case is handled in the same fast-food, slick-ass, Persian Bazaar manner with which you seem to handle everything else, something's gonna get missed."
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We admit it, we have a complete soft spot for Judd.
After his moment of glory in The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire, Nelson's projects ranged from obscure to lame. But none of that can deny The Man Who Was Bender, the angry, vitriolic teenager who antagonized his fellow detentionites and revealed the horrible truth about his home life.
We love Judd. We love Judd's name, as it rhymes with "bud". And we love that Judd starred in a film called Cybermutt.
"But face it. You're a neo maxi zoom dweebie."
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Molly Ringwald is the Brat Packer we love to hate. Without her, John Hughes would've been lost — she was the cornerstone of The Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink and Sixteen Candles.
Ringwald, a redhead who's well known for whining, sneering and acting sorry for herself, very much connected with teen girls throughout the 80's. She remained hard working in the 90's, although nothing more famous than The Stand (of which she was a weak addition). Ringwald returned to make a snippy cameo in Not Another Teen Movie, and is reportedly making Sixteen Candles 2.
"I can't believe my grandmother actually felt me up!"
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Sheedy infested the 80's with her quirky charm so well that if she wasn't there, you'd definitely miss it — but perhaps not be able to put your finger on what's missing. From WarGames to Short Circuit, Sheedy copyrighted the word "cutie pie".
She's best known for the two biggest Brat Pack flicks: The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire. Even though she didn't have to go to detention that day, we're glad she did, dandruff and all.
"When you grow up, your heart dies."
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