Reviews Are In: New Brat Pack Documentary Not What ’80s Film Fans Expected

Andrew McCarthy’s dream of releasing a documentary about the Brat Pack finally came to life a week ago, and there have been reactions and reviews coming up online ever since. Andrew admitted that the project was more of a group therapy session to reach a consensus among the pack on what it meant to be a Brat.

The one-and-a-half-hour film featured Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, and others. However, Molly Ringwald and Judd Nelson refused to be part of the project. Journalist David Blum, who coined the term “Brat Pack,” was also present and remained unapologetic for starting the movement in the mid-80s.

Reviews on new Brat Pack documentary film

It all started in 1985 when Blum published a cover story for New York originally intended to focus on Emilio; however, the other young actors got in the mix as he coined the term reminiscent of the ’60s Rat Pack, which mainly consisted of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis.

The members of this curated group did not take kindly to the categorization, as it appeared to undermine their talent and diligence in Hollywood, painting them to be “lucky” young stars. In retrospect, Andrew thinks it was “cool” to be put on the spot that way, noting that it was one of those perks of fame. Most of the group members like Demi Moore and Jon Cryer preferred to not be associated with the term.

Emilio nearly turned down his yet another invitation to address being a “Brat.” That said, he thought it right to “clear the air on a couple of things,” hence his presence. Interestingly, they have not been so close over the years, which is why Judd thought it awkward to fake a rapport for “edited entertainment.”

Some admitted that Blum’s actions affected their careers, and made a few of them back off on projects to avoid feeding into the assumptions. For example, Emilio forfeited one of the best screenplays he ever encountered because Andrew was on it too. There was also an attempt to gain clarity about those who made the cut as Brat Pack members, such as Lea Thompson and Jon.

As for viewers, the documentary was like watching the group air their opinions about Blum’s article and attempting to find closure amongst themselves, rather than an educational insight into their lives as young actors back in the ‘80s. This was quite disappointing to fans from that generation, who did not hesitate to share their reviews about it on social media.