The Brat Pack lovingly refers to the group of actors and actresses from the 1980’s, who starred in several coming-of-age type dramas and were generally too cool for school. Although members on occasion included stars on the periphery like Charlie Sheen, Brat Pack purists believe to be considered a part of the group you had to have starred in St. Elmo’s Fire or the classic The Breakfast Club. Molly Ringwald, the John Hughes favourite and star of The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles, turns 47 today. In honour of the red haired former teen star, we have put together the definitive list of Brat Pack movies you must see before you die.
In honour of Molly, here our Brat Pack essentials…
5. The Outsiders
Although a considerable amount of films associated with the Brat Pack are tied to late great John Hughes, The Outsiders is surprisingly helmed by the Oscar-winning director of the Godfather trilogy, Francis Ford Coppola. Perhaps not so surprisingly then, the story revolves around two rival gangs, one of whose members is killed following an attack on Johnny (Ralph Macchio) and Ponyboy (C. Thomas Howell) and leads to an eventual face-off between the two groups. The support cast for the Outsiders is perhaps what’s best remembered about the production, now it’s virtually a who’s who of leading actors and actresses, Diane Lane, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez and Rob Lowe. One that passes under the radar a lot, but is definitely worth checking out, not least for the cracking trailer!
4. Sixteen Candles
If you haven’t seen Sixteen Candles, those of us who have are partially jealous. John Hughes’ teenage angst tale of a young girl’s “Sweet Sixteen” birthday is one of Molly Ringwald’s most memorable performances. Molly’s Samantha suffers from your typical teenage predicaments, a crush on the hot guy in school, the subject of adoration for the class nerd, forgotten by the rest of her family in the midst of wedding plans for her sister… Oh no! Someone has forgotten her birthday! Problems in the 80’s were so troubling and yet so wonderfully innocent. This is a duvet and hot chocolate job, enjoy!
3. Pretty in Pink
Another Molly Ringwald dilemma movie, here she plays Andie, one of the unpopular kids at school who has to choose between one of her best friends who dotes on her or the new rich kid. My fifties are too big for my wallet and my diamond shoes are too tight, Andie you have all the problems! Directed by Howard Deutch but written by John Hughes, this is actually Molly’s favourite film out of her own work. Anyone else want to hug Jon Cryer?
2. St. Elmo’s Fire
One of the main films to kick off the whole Brat Pack tradition, St. Elmo’s Fire is what many consider the more mature version of the Breakfast Club, or more specifically, the move to college. Centring on the lives of a group of seven friends, St. Elmo’s Fire looks at relationships under strain with impending adulthood. Although one of the key Brat Pack films, this is famously the one which didn’t star Molly, but did star Demi… And who wouldn’t want this apartment eh?
1. The Breakfast Club
The quintessential Brat Pack film and the 80’s classic which was somewhat responsible for the teenage high school film genre that now exists, The Breakfast Club is one of the most loved and critically acclaimed of all coming-of-age dramas. Over the course of an afternoon in detention, a group of teenagers who would not normally give each other the time of day, discover more to each other than they could have imagined and form an unlikely bond. Effortlessly sweet and funny, The Breakfast Club earns its place at the top of the Brat Pack heap. We still want the sequel!
