Andrew McCarthy’s Brat Pack Doc Is Therapeutic

The big picture

• brats
  it is not an ego-driven documentary, focused on the humility and reflections of the young actors.
• Andrew McCarthy's documentary is a personal story about his insecurities and interactions with the Brat Pack.
• Despite his focus on McCarthy,
  brats
  offers a raw, entertaining and thoughtful look at fame and nostalgia.

When you think of classic coming-of-age movies, you probably first think of movies from John Hughes. From The Breakfast Club a Ferris Bueller's day off, Hughes forever reinvented the way teenagers and young adults were portrayed in movies. Hughes was much more in touch with youth than any filmmaker before him, and part of the magic of his films was the actors he cast. From Molly Ringwald a Emilio Estevez i Anthony Michael Hallthe list goes on and on.

Many of these actors were part of a group that the media dubbed “the Brat Pack.” Taking its name from the 'Rat Pack' of the 1950s and 1960s, the word 'Brat' is not really something that inspires confidence. It feels almost a little demeaning, more like what an older person would call a bunch of spoiled teenagers who won't sit still and shut up.

Andrew McCarthyone of the many members of the so-called Brat Pack, hopes to set things right with his new documentary, simply titled brats. It's a documentary that feels less like a puff piece and more like therapy for its many subjects. It would have been pretty easy for a movie like this to feel more like a celebration, though brats it proves to be much more than that.

“Brats” doesn't have the ego that its title suggests and that's a good thing

brats begins with McCarthy discussing the huge boom in young actors and actresses that occurred in Hollywood throughout the 1980s.. After years of never getting proper representation, McCarthy recalled that it seemed almost every weekend a new movie would hit theaters starring a young face. What started with the success of Fast times at Ridgemont High i risky businessit soon evolved into the John Hughes hit, as well as films like Now Fire of Sant Elm, Top Gun, Back to the future, Dirty Dancing, Footloosei The Karate Kid. It was as if the outing never ended.

The success story hits a bump in the road when McCarthy talks about one New York Magazine cover dubbing the young actors who dominate the world of cinema as the “Brat Pack”. What was initially planned to be a short piece about Emilio Estévez soon turned into a mocking and almost spot-on piece full of painful rhetoric. Throughout the rest of the documentary, McCarthy approaches and meets several of the Brat Pack members, like Demi Moore and Rob Lowemany of whom I hadn't seen in decades.

brats it is both a celebration and a meditation. Many times throughout the documentary, the actors share happy memories about their past, but there is just as much time, if not more, where the actors talk about their reflections on their feelings. Moore, in particular, has a moment where she wonders if it was reasonable for her feelings to be damaged New York Magazine article despite its success. For a film full of big-name stars, not many of the interviewees feel full of themselves. Not much ego on display.

'Brats' is Andrew McCarthy's story through and through

brats he's not afraid to get into the drama between the actors. From the jump it's made clear that the reason McCarthy chose to make this documentary wasn't just to stroll down memory lane and bombard the audience with nostalgia, but because he still has insecurities of his own that have been holding him back since since then the original “Brat Pack” story was published. Each of the actors interviewed have their responses in the article, but their conversations are not about their respective careers, but rather about McCarthy. Despite this, McCarthy doesn't paint himself as a holier-than-thou saint. Instead, he's portrayed as someone who's just looking for some old friends to vent to, and has some kind of understanding with them in response.

brats it's not about the Brat Pack as a whole. After all, neither does Molly Ringwald Judd Nelson make an appearance in the film (although his presence is large). Not much on Sheedy, Lowe or Timothy HuttonTheir own stories about their lives after the 1980s and honestly it might have been a little more interesting if it was a docuseries instead of a 90 minute movie. In any case, that wasn't what McCarthy set out to do anyway. This is a film he uses to tell his story. He lets his former teammates share his thoughts, but that's mostly relegated to his feelings about the “Brat Pack” name.

Despite the variety of familiar faces, the main attraction of brats is the conversation with McCarthy David Bloomthe author of the article that gave birth to all of McCarthy's insecurities. Their conversation is as absorbing as it is awkward. Clearly, there's a lot that McCarthy and Blum want to say to each other, and it's fascinating to watch the two men try to navigate their true feelings.

while brats Perhaps not the full story of the Brat Pack that many viewers might have hoped for, McCarthy's documentary remains a fascinating look at the other side of fame. It's not outrageous and it's not too schmaltzy. It's raw and unfiltered, but entertaining nonetheless. These 90 minutes are not too cynical either. McCarthy still includes enough allusions The Breakfast Club i Pretty in Pink through needle drops and camera shots that are enough to satisfy the nostalgia thirst. brats it serves not only as a pleasant stroll down memory lane, but also as something deeper and more reflective.

brats is now available to stream on Hulu in the US

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