Summary
Hulu’s new documentary,Brats, focused on how David Blum’s famous phrase, the “Brat Pack,” affected the group’s young actors and whether he regretted coining the term. The Brat Pack resulted from Blum’s 1985New York Magazineprofile on Emilio Estevez and his peers.Blum came up with the nickname to describe a group of young actors in the 1980swho often worked together and seemed to have formed friendships outside of their work. Andrew McCarthy’sBratsdocumentary had several reveals, including the fact that most of themembers of the Brat Pack hated the nickname.
Other ´80s actors in the Brat Pack included Anthony Michael Hall, Molly Ringwald, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, and Judd Nelson. McCarthy managed to interview most of the original Brat Pack members for the film,but Molly Ringwald and Judd Nelson aren’t in the Brat Pack documentary. Interestingly,David Blum took part in the documentary and explainedhis side of the storyand why he came up with the term.
Every Movie Mentioned In The Brat Pack Documentary (& Where You Can Watch Them)
Dozens of classic ’80s movies were mentioned in Brats, but filmmaker and brat Andrew McCarthy focused on those at the center of the Brat Pack.
David Blum Doesn’t Regret His “Brat Pack” Article
David Blum Is Sticking To His Description Of The Young Actors
On June 14, 2025,The New York Magazinepublished David Blum’s article that would change how a group of young actors would be perceived. Despite the Brat Pack phrase having a negative connotation,Blum still stands by the term. In hisVulturearticle, Blum stated, “In truth, I still don’t understand why some Brat Packers feel so victimized,” (viaVulture). His statement makes it clear that he feels no remorse for coining the term. Blum doesn’t believe that the phrase changed the career trajectory of theactors who were in the Brat Packin any way.
He further reiterated his point during his interview with Andrew McCarthy in theBratsdocumentary. Blum told the actor and director thatthe members of the Brat Pack were “adults”and that made them fair game. The writer continued to defend his article by making it clear that it wasn’t meant to destroy anyone’s career. The phrase was simply an interesting way that he used to define a group of young actors who were at the height of their careers (viaPeople).
Why Most Brat Pack Members Were Upset By David Blum’s Article
The young actors who were part of the Brat Pack had to grapple with the term that defined their careers when they were just starting out in Hollywood.Even though David Blum might not have understood why the actors were not thrilled by the nickname, there is no denying that the term had some repercussions, especially because his article seemed to imply that they were interchangeable. The members of the Brat Pack were mostly upset by being labeled in a way that they did not want to be labeled.
Over the years, some members of the Brat Pack have expressed how they felt about the article, with McCarthy seeming like he was the one who was most offended by the nickname. McCarthy was not a fan of the article because he felt thatit diminished his craft by implying that they were all in it for fame and fortune, instead of the love and respect they had for their jobs. Emilio Estevez, who was considered the leader of the Brat Pack, felt that the label “was unsophisticated.” Like McCarthy, Demi Moore also felt that the article diminished them as professionals (viaNew York Post).
Did The Brat Pack Article Alter The Careers Of Actors?
After “Hollywood’s Brat Pack” was published, the actors in the group were encouraged to stay away from each other to avoid the label affecting their careers. It is difficult to say whether the actors’ Brat Pack membership significantly altered their ability to find work,but there were instances when it was apparent that they would have benefited from not being lumped into the “brat” category. For instance, Emilio Estevez turned downYoung Men With Unlimited Capitalto avoid working with fellow Brat Packer, Andrew McCarthy, who had also been asked to star in the movie.
However, it is worth noting that most of the Brat Pack did end up having illustrious careers beyond their1980s Brat Pack movies, as David Blum pointed out in theBratsdocumentary. Demi Moore has worked on several movies and TV shows since leaving the Brat Pack label behind, and so have Ally Sheedy and Molly Ringwald. That being said, there’s no denying that David Blum’s article had far moreimpact on the personal and professional lives of the Brat Pack than he thought.
