The Brat Pack: Classic or Dud?

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Cos you know you all wanna discuss those great films of the '80s.

― Ally, Monday, 6 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I loved Nin Inch Nails!

― Mike Hanle y, Monday, 6 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

They were all awesome. I know there are those around here who really dislike "The Breakfast Club", but that movie is what made seventh grade bearable for me. Was anyone shocked when the characters I most identified with were Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall, and Ally Sheedy? NOPE. It's like the three major components of my personality split apart and given life (and silly soliloquies).

― Dan Perry, Monday, 6 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Breakfast Club is the best movie ever made, better than even Gladiator and their pimp costumes. Judd Nelson = CLASSIC. The only reason the movie sucks is because of that stupid makeover they give Ally Sheedy, like she wasn't way better dressed like a psychopath. Molly Ringwald sucks.

― Ally, Monday, 6 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Breakfast Club is not the best movie ever made, tho I suppose you're exagerating. It was an ok teen movie tho. I guess everyone was supposed to identify with one of the characters... what happens if you don't? And whatever happened to Anthony Michael Hall?

― Sean, Monday, 6 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Is the Lost Boys a bratpack film? I liked that one. Don't think I've seen the Breakfast Club or Stand By Me, I'm gonna borrow it off my friend one of these days. My sister saw Ferris Buler's Day Off a million times, it's okay. Whatever happened to Wil Wheaton?

― jel, Monday, 6 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

How is the Breakfast Club not the best movie ever made? It has Judd Nelson in it, the defense rests.

― Ally, Monday, 6 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The defense needs a time-out, because their secondary is getting run ragged by LOGIC.

Tho _The Breakfast Club_ is one of the pinnacles of the Brat Pack / teen flick phenom (next to _Ferris Bueller_, of course). Never saw _Pretty in Pink_ (Andrew McCarthy? He should stick to clothing dummies); saw bits of _Sixteen Candles_ (ah, Long Duck Fong). (And what the hell is John Hughes doing now?) Molly Ringwald is fine as the bland upper-middle-class downtrodden super-snob anti-cool chick. And it's nice to see Anthony Michael Hall come back as a member of Def Leppard. Almost as charming as Screech's own realized dreams of rawk sub-stardom.

_Lost Boys_ = Joel Schumacher clusterfuck. The only thing that redeems it are the VAMPIRES. And, oddly enough, that car salesman guy. A shout out for Savage Steve Holland's semi-exemplary work with a young John Cusack. No shout out for working with Demi Moore, though. _St. Elmo's Fire_ was, like, serious or something - dulllllll.

They sure don't make 'em like they used to. No discussion of the Coreys, tho - no _Dream a Little Dream_, no driver's liscence movie, no sci-fi roller blading, no _Goonies_ (or Goonies reunion!?!).

Oh! And Cameron Crowe's pre-profundity work! _Fast Times_ & _Say Anything_ - yes! I think I'm done.

― David Raposa, Monday, 6 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm amused by the phrase "semi-exemplary".

― Sean, Monday, 6 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ahem.

_The Breakfast Club_ -- overrated, annoying tripe *and* one of the world's WORST EVER SONGS as its theme. The Judd Nelson factor is noted but has no impact on the final result.

_Ferris Bueller_ -- godhead. Full stop.

_Real Genius_ -- the secret best eighties teen movie. Val Kilmer hasn't touched anything as good since.

― Ned Raggett, Monday, 6 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

'see, all these movies take place in a town called shermer, in illinois, and there's all this fine bush running around, but all the guys are whiny pussies. except judd nelson, he was fuckin' harsh.'

i still maintain the that song from the breakfast club is damned good. actually it seems very nedlike, i really dont get why he hates it so much. maybe it hits too close to home. admit it, ned.

― ethan, Monday, 6 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ah yes, Judd Nelson. THe man who would be me in the ILE movie

― Mike Hanley, Monday, 6 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Long Duck Fong

Ahem. It's Long Duk Dong, babe.

Anyhow, Ned is completely wrong. As much as Ferris Bueller is the best film ever made besides The Breakfast Club, it still has a shameful lack of Judd Nelson. Plus, the theme song to The Breakfast Club is great, what are you talking about? It's totally one of the greatest songs to come out of the '80s; if it wasn't great it wouldn't be on all those really great '80s compilation CDs that Time- Life keeps putting out.

It still pisses me off that Judd Nelson goes with Molly Ringwald at the end of the movie; I mean, she's horrible. Ally Sheedy pre- makeover is way fucking better, he should go out with her.

Why is no one talking about Say Anything? John Cusack immediately makes a movie good, he's way hot.

― Ally, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oh, and Ethan, quoting Jay is easily the best thing you ever did.

― Ally, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Boring . Had too much money to really feel angst. Plus the enduing to the breakfast club was painful.

― anthony, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Say Anything but don't say High Fidelity. The man has gone seriously down since Say Anything (and The Grifters).
The closing chapter of the Brat Pack/John Hughes was "Some Kind Of Wonderful", right? Any movie that can pack so many Stones references (and contain a young Pamela Anderson) in it, is classic in my book.

― nathalie (nathalie), Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Pretty In Pink was the apex, then it was all downhill. Can't Buy Me Love was fun, but also the nail in the coffin. Weird Science is like Real Genius with a higher chick factor.

― Sterling Clover, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Somewhere on ILM I started a thread about songs that you absolutely thoroughly and utterly despise, and how the first such song to ever gain this particular 'honor' from me was fucking 'Don't You Fucking Ever Fucking Forget About Me,' which had the goddamn audacity to be on a seemingly endless loop on the radio from April to September 1985. Do not question me, Ethan. It hits close to home in that I would like to take that song and hit it many times until it expired.

But other than that, it's a great day! Now, who here admits to liking _Ladyhawke_?

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Beats Wolf, that's for sure.

― nathalie (nathalie), Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ladyhawke is AWESOME. I mean, yeah, it's sort of embarassing, but it's really enteraining and Michelle Pfeiffer!

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I absolutely loathed the whole brat-pack thing and all the films. Something to do with feeling like other people at school were living this life and they could fuck off. What Sean said.

Exception: 'Mannequin'. A giant of a film.

― Nick, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Do you know that the producers refused to give Kim Cattral even one of her Mannequins after production wrapped? Somewhere out there floats several Kim Cattral mannequins, and she owns none of them. It's very sad.

Ned, I still don't quite understand just why you hate that song so much. It's about Judd Nelson for fuck's sake, it's great.

― Ally, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I have to admit that I don't understand the loathing for that song, either. I know that part of why I like it is because the song describes exactly how I viewed a good 95% of the kids I went to junior/senior high with. I also like the juxtaposition of the uplifting music with the bleak, self-loathing lyrics and the breakdown to the bass line is butter.

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

WAIT I MEANT JUDGE REINHOLD!

― Mike Hanle y, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

All I've really seen is Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller (the Brat Pack is a little before my generation), and Better Off Dead if that counts, but all three movies are great. And I really like "Don't You", but maybe that's because I was too young in 1985 to get sick of it.

― palpable, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You know, I've realized that there are very few of us here for whom the Brat Pack wouldn't be a bit before our times. That's hilarious.

― Ally, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

No mention of Some Kind of Wonderful? Eric Stolz is cool in that movie - much better than he was in Memphis Belle.

― Jonnie, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Some Kind of Wonderful is weird, I can't stand Lea Thompson. She's not even good looking, why did they make a big deal about her? Joon is way better, he was right to ditch Lea for Joon.

― Ally, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Talk about FAST TIMES, damn it! (Or is THAT before most folks' times? Me, I just saw it a couple of weeks ago. Spicoli is classic, dude.) (And there's Eric Stoltz!) (AND Anthony Edwards!)

And _Porky's_, too. Criminally underrated. But that ain't "brat pack", exactly. But it's fun stuff.

Another possible spin-off topic - "Revenge of the Nerds". WTF?

― David Raposa, Tuesday, 7 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Fast Times is definitely before my time (um, I was less than a year old when it came out), but I have seen it and it's a great movie. Is it considered a Brat Pack flick, though?

― palpable, Wednesday, 8 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Fast Times is not nearly as good as Breakfast Club, though it's still pretty good, since it has such a great and talented cast including Mike Hanley's hero.

― Ally, Wednesday, 8 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oh, Fast Times beats the Breakfast Club with both hands tied behind its back and TWO broken ankles. Please - you're just letting your love of the Judd get in the way of your judgement.

Is Mik e's hero the guy selling the Blue Oyster Cult tickets?

― David Raposa, Wednesday, 8 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Fast Times is like the Breakfast Club for idiots. It should be burnt at the stake. Ferris Bueller is still way better than it, anyhow. I mean, listen - "It's understanding that allows people like us to put up with people like you". CLASSIC.

― Ally, Thursday, 9 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Anyone remember Sixteen Candles? Pretty in Pink is superior. Ducky.

― Lindsey B, Saturday, 11 August 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

eighteen years pass...

judd nelson turns 60 tomorrow

― mookieproof, Wednesday, 27 November 2019 18:01 (six years ago)

means he was 25 when breakfast club came out? sounds about right.

― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Wednesday, 27 November 2019 18:09 (six years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE-c7CV8PDU

― War Crimes Tribunal of the Network Stars (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 27 November 2019 19:08 (six years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.