I just finished watching this documentary called Brats on Hulu and was directed by Andrew McCarthy. I really really wished I appreciated this because I loved these movies so many growing up. Nevertheless, I hated the whole thing, almost every second of it to be precise. To the people who do not know, I shall just give an ultra short timeline in the form of the movies I saw in my childhood and how they affected me.
Grease. I had a Grease VHS which I would watch every day several times until there came a point the tape was no longer watchable. The film Grease, while ridiculous, provided a window into the reality of a high school experience which, as a kid still in grade school, I thought was not too farfetched. It was a group of people who were trying to balance their social circles, manage feelings of isolation and love, while going through the transitions of life.
The Outsiders. The cast not only consisted of superstars but they were all superstars, this was a more intense and dark film but interestingly still focused on the same issues as Grease (but without all the people bursting out into songs). It had a very big influence on me during my adolescent years. The Breakfast Club, Probably not but again this is another ensemble film, this time the kids focus on returning to more of the high school themes.
A number of films followed Breakfast Club and many of them included the same actors. The majority of these movies were John Hughes’s work. Less than Zero, Pretty in Pink, Some kind of Wonderful, Sixteen Candles, and Saint Elmo’s Fire revolved around the same cast and the same concepts.
Moving on, I think it was around the mid 1985’s when an article in New York Magazine announced that the cast of these films belonged to a small clique, which he referred to as Brat Pack. The term Brat Pack was derived from a group of friends that existed in the 40’s and 50’s that had cool. (see links for details)
They were apparently very annoyed by it considering most of them were in their early twenties at the time of the movies being made. Why did they even bother dodging the most relevant offensive word here Brat. They shunned each other and the group name almost instantly. Andrew McCartney spent the next 30 years contemplating how everyone else was making a mockery of him in those times.
Modern Streaming enters the picture. Hulu was quite thrilled with this idea the documentary directed because it had a potential to attract customers and therefore they were cheap to stream. I have a problem regarding the allegations made by the producer and the documentary itself: The premise seems to be self absord.
Should I feel sorry for a wealthy movie star. He was a part of the cultural movement back in the 80s. He will always be associated with movies that people enjoy. He earned decent money. When some dude coined the term brat pack and he took that personally, what am I supposed to feel pity for him.
What provokes me is that he spent three frickin decades with that kind of negativity. There are things in my life where I suffered and been subject to disappointments, but I also know that I still belong to the top 1% of positive experiences that the human race has to offer. I wasn’t a homeless person, I wasn’t in the middle of a war and conflict, I never had to battle hunger pangs, I never was targeted by law enforcement, I never was in a life threatening situation or framed for a crime. I was clever and I had great resources.
The entire documentary came across as if he was inquiring his former actor colleagues to express their compassion towards him in unison. I sensed absolutely no love, no evolution. It was bleak and bizarre. All the films suffered in my opinion. I regret seeing it.
This point is quite drag because I will have to delve into the details of why this documentary was so provocative to me. In fact, I seem to have some internal conflict. I suppose I should just allow it to cool down. Did other viewers see the film and reach a more agreeable outcome.
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