250: Brats

At the Flicks

The At The Flicks team have often been referred to as Brats (ok, just one member in particular), so when Darren suggested we review a movie called Brats, it was too good an opportunity to pass up. It is not however our origins story. Instead, it is a documentary about the mid 80’s movie brat generation, told by one of their own. Actor turned director Andrew McCarthy (who appeared in St Elmo’s Fire and Less Than Zero), felt that the term movie brats, as coined by writer David Blum, was something of a put down. While it’s certainly true that the article that coined that term was less than flattering about that unique generation of actors, for many of us at that time, a “movie brats” movie was something to seek out and savour. For Andrew McCarthy, both the director and essentially on-screen narrator, Brats became a voyage of self-discovery as he revisited both the past and other members of the so called Brat Pack. He chats to Emilio Estevez, Demi Moore and Ally Sheedy amongst others. What emerges is a fascinating study of youthful American movies of the period coupled with a satisfying self-reflection story. As for the At The Flicks team, things we learnt in our discussion were: · The Breakfast Club and The Cotton Club are not related. · Why we believe Anthony Michael Hall wasn’t referred to · Why Molly Ringwald didn’t appear in the documentary · Why Graham and Darren hate the music video of John Parr’s song Man In Motion (Jeff on the other hand loved it) · Which one of the participants gave the most insightful reflection on the past Oh, and the team all realised they dislike the author of the original article, who is interviewed by Andrew McCarthy later in the documentary. So, if you have an interest in 80’s cinema then this is a documentary you really don’t want to miss. We all gave it a thumbs up, which means Phil wasn’t in the review group! See you for the next gonzo review show or At The Flicks Bye for now