Top Three Brat Pack Movies
It’s been 35 years since the term “Brat Pack” was coined in a magazine article to reference the group of young actors, such as Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, and Andre McCarthy, who frequently starred together in movies during the ‘80s. In honor of the anniversary, here are my top three Brat Pack movies (which also happen to be my top three Molly Ringwald movies).
Pretty in Pink (1986): This film follows a love triangle between Molly Ringwald and two guys— her poor friend and the rich guy who might be a jerk or not. Obviously, she wants the rich guy more, and the film leads the viewer through a “which one will she pick?” plot that may or may not end satisfactorily for you.
Sixteen Candles (1984): A movie referenced quite a bit in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, this Brat Pack film features iconic eighties-style parties and those defined status quo groups we all know too well know— the jocks, the popular guy, the nerds, the dumb popular girls, and the invisible Molly Ringwald, who happens to be in love with the popular guy (again).
The Breakfast Club (1985): My favorite Brat Pack film that almost lives up to the hype, this film really brought the Brat Pack phenomenon to the forefront of the media. Five teenagers from different social groups are thrust together to discover that maybe they aren’t all that different anyways. Even if you haven’t seen it, I’m sure you know the iconic song that ends the movie, “Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds, which was just played at the Oscars last Sunday and was heavily mentioned in Pitch Perfect.
Personally, I think some of the moments in these films haven’t aged well. They were problematic at the time, and they are really problematic now. There is still something interesting about seeing how the film industry has changed, in this case for the better; the portrayals of minorities and women nowadays would hopefully be different. In any case, these films are nice low-stakes viewing, and these are a good top three to watch if you just want to understand eighties film allusions—even from Lara Jean Covey herself!