Title: Brat: An ’80s Story
Author: Andrew McCarthy
Genre: Memoir
Published On: May 11, 2021
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Source: digital (Netgalley)
Pages: 240
Synopsis:
Fans of Patti Smith’s Just Kids and Rob Lowe’s Stories I 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.
My thoughts
(Spoiler free)
Andrew McCarthy’s enlightening look back at the pivotal years that (mis)labeled him as one of the infamous Brat Pack, the small group of young actors at the height of the newly emerging teen-oriented films that dominated the 1980s, is a sincere effort by the actor to give the reader a glimpse behind the scenes, as well as conveying some level of catharsis with his own personal and professional life.
“What I claim here is not a definitive truth but my experience of the truth, a truth that has informed and shaped my life over the decades. What happened to me over the course of a few brief years, when I came of age within a certain pop culture environment, irretrievably altered who I would become.”
Andrew McCarthy, Brat: An ’80s Story
Many of the films and actors in this teen-dominated time period had a big impact on me. However, as an adult with the gift of hindsight, it’s hard to watch some of these films without cringing. (Primarily Sixteen Candles, which McCarthy does NOT appear in.) They’re problematic: racist, sexist, and homophobic. I discovered them on lazy weekends in the ’90s, watching them one after another, memorizing lines ( “His name is Blane? That’s a major appliance, that’s not a name!” ), obsessing over the soundtracks, and cursing fate that I hadn’t been born with red hair. So in my memory ‘Brat Pack’ wasn’t a negative label, it was an endearing one. Learning that the actors shunned the label, distancing themselves from future films together, leading to the end of this film era I loved so much, has forever altered the term for me.
Sometimes the truth hurts.
“It would take some time for me to not feel that I had been sideswiped by the tag and then shackled to it. To label anything so easily is to make no further attempt at understanding it. Yet that label also elevated me even as it weighed me down. It gave me stature while diminishing me, made me a part of something even as it isolated me, gave me a platform and limited my options.”
Andrew McCarthy, Brat: An ’80s Story
If you’re picking this one up expecting salacious gossip on your favorite Brat Pack cast mates, you might be disappointed. McCarthy is forthcoming, but also very much a gentleman. Surprisingly, he was not close with his fellow Brat Packers, and it just reaffirmed what good actors they were for me. If you watch St. Elmo’s Fire, you might think they were the best of friends off-screen as well, but I was surprised to learn how young McCarthy actually was when he made that film, as well as how new he was to acting.
What I enjoyed most about this memoir was the actor’s memories of living in New York City, attending NYU, and how he always seemed to find himself among the Hollywood elite, but mostly as an observer on the periphery and not as a participant.
He’s frank about his struggles with alcohol and drugs, his tumultuous relationship with his parents and siblings, and the teachers and mentors that instructed and inspired him in front of and behind the camera. And he’s humbled by the attention he still receives for those few films he was a part of that impacted so many people.
“What there is no doubt about is that those ’80s movies themselves touched something deep in a generation of moviegoers. Pretty in Pink et al helped so many to feel like they mattered, helped them to feel seen, less misunderstood, less alone. And those films continue to live on.”
Andrew McCarthy, Brat: An ’80s Story
Brat is a quick and engaging read. I didn’t want to put it down once I started, and I was impressed with the author’s writing and openness, enjoying the glimpse behind the scenes of the films that have become so nostalgic for so many.
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for an advanced reader’s copy.
Rating:
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About the Author
A Song For A Book
You’re probably thinking I’ll be sharing a song from one of McCarthy’s films, but it only seemed appropriate to use a song he mentioned listening to in his off-screen life, “Feel Like a Number” by Bob Seger. Although, he does mention listening to it on repeat between takes while making a film… BUT if you’re feeling nostalgic for music from the Brat Pack films you love, don’t fret. I’ve compiled a playlist that I’m sharing below. 😉
…Gonna cruise outta this city, head down to the sea
Gonna shout out at the ocean, hey it’s me
And I feel like a number, feel like a number
Feel like a stranger
A stranger in this land, I feel like a number
I’m not a number, I’m not a number
Damn it I’m a man, I said I’m a man…
Will you be adding Brat to your TBR? Let me know in the comments!
Happy Wandering!
It’s refreshing to hear about a memoir that does not rely on everyone else and the gossip surrounding them. Nice review Dedra.
You’re right, it was refreshing! <3
I’m now totally sold on picking this one up! I had no idea he was a travel writer and need to look into that too!
Oh yay!! Yes, I didn’t either. I need to pick up some of his travel writing, as well. 🙂
My 14 year old daughter is intrigued by the 80’s and wants to read this book.
Do you think it appropriate for her age group? thank you!
Hmm. I don’t recall anything too salacious. He does discuss his problems with alcohol and drug abuse. There may be references to sex but I don’t think he discusses anything in detail. I’m sorry I can’t be more help. I have a terrible memory for details, and unfortunately I can no longer access my ebook copy. But it’s a super quick read if you want to peruse it before she does. Happy reading!
Thank you for your help!