Monday Musings...

I just watched the BRATS documentary by Andrew McCarthy over on Hulu the other night and it has me craving 80s movies. Those were some of my favorites growing up in the 90s:  Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, Say Anything, Some Kind of Wonderful, St. Elmo's Fire, Goonies, Better Off Dead, and so many more. As a result of watching his doc, I found myself wanting to read his book, brat: an '80s story. I bought the book when it came out, but never got around to it, and well, now seemed like the perfect time. 

So, I read the book in one night and it was good. I mean, he's a good writer. His story was relatable in the way that we all feel unsure of ourselves at some point. As far as the rest of it, well, it seems like he never really tried too hard and sort of lucked into his jobs, which makes sense for Hollywood. Plus, he was young and just taking leaps, which was the best way to go about it at times. The way he describes himself and his life makes me understand why he always appeared aloof. He mentions the infamous article that gave his cast (and himself) the moniker, the brat pack. I read the article and he's not actually considered a part of the brat pack. And yet, the media and everyone else lumped him under that umbrella of 'brat pack'. The article wasn't as awful as he made it out to be - it just depicted a day and night in the life of Emilio Estevez and his friends (Rob Lowe, Judd Nelson) and suffice it to say they enjoyed the perks that being famous allowed them. Does that make them brats? Maybe to some, but to others I would think it was just typical of Hollywood behavior and life. So, yeah, I'm sure it was annoying that the label followed them around for so long and it was used by some in the industry to diminish their work. However, when watching Rob Lowe talk about it, I enjoyed his point of view - he focused on how they benefited from being a part of the 'brat pack'. And it's true, why not use it to your advantage. He also looked at as something they were a part of, which is what everyone wants - to be a part of something big and they were. His take was refreshing. To be honest, I felt like everyone seemed to have moved on from it, except for McCarthy, which I found strange considering the article was really about Emilio Estevez. 

As for the documentary, it was fun to see some of the 'brats' and hear their perspective on that time in their lives. I would have liked to have seem him get them together in a group setting to really get a feel for their connection and to also see what they would have said when all together. Meeting them individually was still fun, because it was very telling about the relationships they had had. Overall, it was fun for nostalgia's sake to watch the doc and read the book. 

And now, I'm off to accomplish some to-dos. Wishing you a groovy Monday! Happy reading!