Andrew McCarthy on Why Molly Ringwald Isn’t in His Brat Pack Documentary
Andrew McCarthy managed to get many of the major members of the Brat Pack to appear in his documentary, aptly titled Brats. While some members did not appear, the most notable omission was Molly Ringwald.
McCarthy was asked by US Weekly why Ringwald opted not to sit down with him for an interview. He said, “She said she’d think about it and that was really the end of it.” McCarthy said it “would’ve been great” to chat with Ringwald, but she “has a lot to say already in the movie” through archival footage.
Brats premieres on Hulu on June 13. The premise of the documentary is laid out well in the trailer below. It finds McCarthy, who starred in Pretty in Pink and St. Elmo’s Fire, seeking out the members of the Brat Pack today and talking with them about that unique time in their lives.
Despite Ringwald not sitting for an interview, McCarthy is able to secure sit-downs with many Brat Pack members and actors in the group’s orbit, including Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez, Jon Cryer, Lea Thompson and Timothy Hutton.
The term “Brat Pack” came from a 1985 cover story by David Blum for New York Magazine. In the documentary, McCarthy actually gets Blum to sit for an interview.
In a statement, McCarthy said about the documentary, “The Brat Pack has cast a long shadow over my life and career. After all these years, I was curious to see how it had affected my fellow Brat Pack members. What I found was surprising — and liberating.”
Is There a Definitive List of Brat Pack Movies?
A simple Google search of “Brat Pack Movies” will yield some confusing results, as there doesn’t seem to be a definitive list or criteria on what makes certain movies “Brat Pack Movies.”
Some movies are obviously more affiliated with the Brat Pack than others. Those movies include The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo’s Fire, Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink.
However, some movies are seemingly also categorized as being affiliated with the Brat Pack but don’t quite fit. IMDb and Britannica both consider The Outsiders, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Lost Boys and Young Guns as Brat Pack movies, which is certainly up for debate.
Each had even more left-field choices. IMDb’s list also included Weekend at Bernie’s, Less Than Zero, WarGames and Weird Science. Meanwhile, Britannica had some truly baffling choices, including Taps, Footloose and Lucas.
Perhaps after the release of Brats, we’ll get closer to determining a true definitive list.
