Revisiting The Brat Pack: A Reflection On Hollywood's Youth Revolution

Picture this: a starry night in the mid-1980s. A group of up-and-coming actors, fresh off dinner at Spago—one of Los Angeles' hottest spots—decide to follow a legend. "I think we were literally getting up out of our seats, and Liza Minnelli said, 'Let's go to Sammy’s,'" Rob Lowe recalls with a chuckle. "So, we follow Liza Minnelli to Sammy Davis Jr.'s house. Who in their right mind would say no to that?"

Fast forward to today, and the story of these young talents has been captured in a new documentary, Brats. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and is now streaming on Hulu. This film takes us back to the era when Hollywood embraced youth culture like never before, creating a movement that would later be famously labeled "The Brat Pack" by a magazine article.

Not everyone embraced the term. Demi Moore, now 61, felt the label was unfair. "I felt a sense of it being unjust," she says. "It didn't represent who we were. It felt like a limited perspective, almost dismissive of the depth and range we brought to our work." The label seemed to stick particularly to those who starred in the 1985 film St. Elmo's Fire and John Hughes' youth-centric dramatic comedies.

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Emilio Estevez, now 62, shares similar sentiments. "It created this perception that we were lightweights, that we didn't take our craft seriously. But the truth is, we were just kids trying to make our mark in a tough industry."

Reevaluating the Brat Pack Legacy

Forty years later, many of these actors have gained a new perspective on their Brat Pack days. Ally Sheedy, now 62, remembers the joy of finally belonging. "In high school, I didn't have many close friends," she says. "I was lonely, and I didn't fit in. But when I moved to California, it was like a dream come true. I finally found my tribe, and it changed my life forever."

Rob Lowe, now 60, acknowledges the fortunate timing of their careers. "Back then, Hollywood started making a lot of films focused on young adults. It wasn't always like that. Being part of that wave not only changed our lives, but it also reshaped the entire entertainment landscape." Rob even forgives the writer who coined the term. "I get it now. There were so many of us, and we needed a catch-all name. Brat Pack? Not bad, honestly."

Andrew McCarthy, now 61, admits the label weighed on him at the time, but he can now smile at some of those memories. "Our visit to Sammy Davis Jr.'s house stands out," Andrew reminisces. "He was so gracious, welcoming us like family. He said, 'I've got my eye on you cats. I love what you're doing, keep it up.' That was the only time I felt the Brat Pack meeting the Rat Pack."

Jon Cryer, 59, feels a sense of relief having moved past the Brat Pack era. "We all want to be seen beyond the baggage of our pop-cultural references," he explains. "As actors, we just want to act, to tell stories, and to grow. It's about evolving, and I'm grateful for that."