Book Review: "Brat: An '80s Story" by Andrew McCarthy

Brat: An '80s Story contains Andrew McCarthy's recollections of his acting heyday in 1980s films.

I went to high school in the mid-1980s. (Whatever. Be nice to the old guy or get off my lawn.) Pop culture in the 80s was great—while some of the movies and TV shows look colossally bad now, a lot of them have sustained their charm and bring back so many memories. (I even remember with whom I saw certain movies back in the day.)

I first noticed Andrew McCarthy in the movie Class, which wasn’t very good, but Rob Lowe was in it, and long before I understood why I was obsessed with him (still am, cough), I had to watch everything he was in. Anyway, I remember McCarthy was almost an anti-hunk, and he had the most expressive eyes I’d ever seen on an actor.

McCarthy went on to star in two of my most favorite 80s movies—Pretty in Pink and St. Elmo’s Fire—as well as Mannequin, Less Than Zero, and that crazy movie, Weekend at Bernie's. It was during that time he got lumped into the group of young actors called “The Brat Pack.” (Ironically, he didn't even attend the event at which a few of his acting peers merited that nickname.)

In Brat, McCarthy recounts how his career started and touches on the movies he’s most known for. It’s not a tell-all by any means and he doesn’t trash anyone, but I really enjoyed his memories of that time and place. He also talks about family problems and his struggles with alcoholism, particularly during that time in his life.

And there even were a few things I didn’t know—that he was offered the lead in Some Kind of Wonderful and turned it down, and that John Hughes showed him the script for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and McCarthy expressed interest, but nothing came of it.

The fact is, McCarthy is a good writer. He’s written a travel memoir which I loved and a YA novel I’ve not read yet, so this was enjoyable for more than the sense of nostalgia it gave me. So many of the actors from that time period are still acting (at least periodically), so it’s fun to see how far they’ve come.

I know there are some of you who have never heard of him or his movies. Humor me and don’t make me feel decrepit, okay?