We pay homage to 1980’s Hollywood clique Brat Pack — for bringing teen angst and smouldering charisma to cinema
BORN in the ’90s or later? You may not have a clue who the Brat Pack were, but that would be your loss.
You can keep your J-Law and Jude Law, because this hot young gang of actors were Hollywood royalty back in the ’80s, and no one’s been able to touch them since.
Last month marked the 35th anniversary of the release of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsiders, a tale of ‘50s teen gangs looking for a better life, which made Rob Lowe (swoon), Emilio Estevez and their co-stars Hollywood’s hottest talent, plus spawned the legend that is the Brat Pack.
First coined by New York magazine journalist David Blum in June 1985, the term referred to the new crop of rising Hollywood stars dominating movie theatres and headlines.
This lot didn’t so much burst on to the scene as rip it up entirely, while perfecting their best Blue Steels through heavily hairsprayed fringes.
Alongside Rob and Emilio, core BP members were Andrew McCarthy, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Anthony Michael Hall, Demi Moore and Molly Ringwald.
But if you want to play a bit loose with the rules, you could also add C Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon and Tom Cruise to the list.
And barely a cult ’80s movie was made without them. They hung out in LA’s Hard Rock Cafe, partied hard, dated fast and didn’t mind mixing business with pleasure, either.
BP President was Emilio. Son of acting legend Martin Sheen and brother of the then unknown Charlie, he had showbiz pedigree.
By 23, he’d acted in six films including probably the most iconic BP movie, The Breakfast Club, directed by John Hughes – the driving force behind ’80s hits Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Weird Science
Set in a school library during Saturday-morning detention, it explored teen issues from bullying and loneliness to parental abuse and broken homes. It was an instant hit, grossing £35million at the box office.
“This was the first moment in Hollywood’s history when an entire genre of movies was being made that took teenagers and their lives seriously,” explains Susannah Gora, author of Brat Pack guide You Couldn’t Ignore Me If You Tried.
But while ’80s kids couldn’t get enough of St Elmo’s Fire, Pretty In Pink and Class, behind the scenes things became just as angst-ridden as the movie scripts.
1988 saw the downfall of Rob Lowe’s career after a sex tape was released, Ally Sheedy sought rehab for a sleeping pill addiction in the ’90s, and in a highly charged interview in 1999 Andrew McCarthy declared the Brat Pack never existed!
MOST READ IN FABULOUS
Only Demi Moore, Matt Dillon and Tom Cruise have managed to secure a Hollywood career post-BP, while Molly Ringwald enjoyed a spell as a magazine agony aunt and Emilio turned to producing and directing.
Still, their legacy lives on and, thanks to streaming, the Netflix generation is discovering what the Brat Pack has to offer.
With storylines that confront gun violence, mental health and peer pressure, the movies are still as relevant as ever.