If you’re an ‘80s kid, the phrase “The Brat Pack” is sure to set off a flurry of images in your mind. The not-so-kind nickname was given to a group of up-and-coming actors and actresses who starred together in some of the biggest movies of the decade: Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, and St. Elmo’s Fire, to name a few. While this moniker began as a dig, over the years it has turned into more of a term of endearment, triggering fond memories of the entertainers who brought these coming-of-age tales to the screen, such as Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, and Judd Nelson.
Another name and face you’ll recognise as part of this group is Andrew McCarthy, who has spent decades trying to escape his membership of this pack (even though he was not part of the original group the term targeted). Now, however, he has decided to revisit this iconic era with his new memoir, Brat: An ‘80s Story. Bookended by an overview of his childhood (including a particularly trying relationship with his father) and a look at what his life has been like since rocketing to fame (a fair amount of travel writing, directing, and building a family of his own), Brat is primarily a close-up of McCarthy’s life as he transformed from an unknown kid from New Jersey to a Hollywood heartthrob across the span of the 1980s.
From what inspired him to attend acting school in New York City, to his first film role and his big break into the world of John Hughes’ films, McCarthy’s book has a little something for everyone. For fans of the craft, he discusses his training at NYU in some detail. Throughout the book he consistently returns to the impact of one particular acting teacher across his life, how she encouraged him that he had a gift worth developing when everyone else thought he was not cut out for the work, but was also honest and constructive in her feedback. For those who are curious about what happens behind the scenes in the film industry, McCarthy relays a bit of insider knowledge of the business gained over the past few decades. In particular, he shares an understandable disdain for the machine that is Hollywood, disclosing how he never wanted to be a businessman or parlay relationships for roles, he simply wanted to act. For those interested in his more closely guarded personal life, McCarthy lowers the shield to dig into what he calls the “yin-yang” of his consuming desire to be a successful actor versus the way he hid himself away, acted disinterested (often at the expense of his career) to cope with his internal fears. And, of course, he delves into his relationships with fellow “Brat Pack” members, revealing stories which may surprise readers.
McCarthy labels his approach to looking back at this definitive time as a sort of reckoning with his past, a way to make sense of the events that occurred through his own lens of experience and to reflect upon what he could learn from his own story. He admits that he is, potentially, an unreliable narrator at times, as we all are with memories from decades past. He also acknowledges the reality that his memories are clouded with the haze of alcohol and drugs, which he depended on to be more comfortable with himself as he came of age under an impossibly intense spotlight.
All in all, Brat is just what you would expect: an entertaining, yet self-reflective, romp down memory lane. McCarthy’s writing is solid and flowing, honest and critical. Fans with a special place in their heart for ‘80s nostalgia are sure to enjoy the stories shared here.
Brat: An ‘80s Story is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of May 11th 2021. Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an advance copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Will you be picking up Brat: An ‘80s Story? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Fans of Patti Smith’s Just Kids and Rob Lowe’s StoriesI Only Tell My Friends will love this beautifully written, entertaining, and emotionally honest memoir by an actor, director, and author who found his start as an 80s Brat pack member.
Most people know Andrew McCarthy from his movie roles in Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo’s Fire, Weekend at Bernie’s, and Less than Zero, and as a charter member of Hollywood’s Brat Pack. That iconic group of ingenues and heartthrobs included Rob Lowe, Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, and Demi Moore, and has come to represent both a genre of film and an era of pop culture. In his memoir Brat: An ’80s Story, McCarthy focuses his gaze on that singular moment in time. The result is a revealing look at coming of age in a maelstrom, reckoning with conflicted ambition, innocence, addiction, and masculinity. New York City of the 1980s is brought to vivid life in these pages, from scoring loose joints in Washington Square Park to skipping school in favor of the dark revival houses of the Village where he fell in love with the movies that would change his life. Filled with personal revelations of innocence lost to heady days in Hollywood with John Hughes and an iconic cast of characters, Brat is a surprising and intimate story of an outsider caught up in a most unwitting success.
