Warning! This contains SPOILERS for Brats on Hulu.

Summary

• Brats uses its 1980s soundtrack to transport viewers back to the era of iconic coming-of-age films and their relatable characters.
• Andrew McCarthy reunites with former co-stars to discuss memories and reflect on the “Brat Pack” label in a nostalgic documentary.
• The music in Brats, from Joy Division to Simple Minds, captures the essence of 1980s teen movies and young adult life and enhances the emotional journey.

The Hulu documentary Brats is directed by and starring Andrew McCarthy as he tracks down his fellow “Brat Pack” members with a killer 1980s soundtrack in the background to bring viewers the nostalgia necessary for the topic. In many cases, McCarthy was reuniting with former co-stars he hadn’t seen in over 30 years, including Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, and more. Together, they reminisced about memories and touched on why they hated the “Brat Pack” nickname.

“The Brat Pack” became famous thanks to films like The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo’s Fire, Pretty in Pink, and more. These films are still seen as classics today because of their scripts, performances, relatable characters, and standout soundtracks. These 1980s coming-of-age movies captured the experiences of teenagers and young adults, as well as the music they might have listened to. Brats uses its music to the same effect as the films the subjects starred in.

“Love Will Tear Us Apart”

Joy Division

The opening song of Brats, “Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Joy Division, plays over footage of McCarthy walking through the streets of New York City mixed with actual footage of the city from the 1980s. The now-classic new wave song was released in June 1980, just at the start of the decade Brats focuses on. This made it the perfect choice to kick off the documentary and help viewers transport themselves to the 1980s to go on the Brats nostalgia ride.

“Old Time Rock & Roll”

Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band

Along with the present-day interviews McCarthy conducted and footage from old “Brat Pack” interviews, Brats expertly uses clips from popular 1980s movies. The song “Old Time Rock & Roll” is best known for the scene of 20-year-old Tom Cruise dancing to it in 1983’s Risky Business, a clip Brats uses. The song continued after the clip ended, with snapshots of other popular 1980s teen movies, including Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Back to the Future, as well as news reports from the time. As the song began, McCarthy via voiceover said,

“
And then suddenly, the fortunes of a group of young actors, including me, soared
.
Hollywood discovered the box office potential of a young audience.
”

“Just Like Heaven”

The Cure

The “Brat Pack” nickname was created by journalist David Blume, who first used it in a New York Magazine article that was initially intended to be, as McCarthy put it, “a small feature on Emilio Estevez.” Today, we know it has become much bigger than that. The 1987 song “Just Like Heaven” by The Cure plays over a montage about the article. It was The Cure’s first American hit, and though it was released two years after the 1985 article, the song is an instantly recognizable 1980s alternative rock track.

“Back In The High Life Again”

Steve Winwood

As aforementioned, Brats reunited McCarthy with many of his former co-stars and fellow “Brat Pack” members. “Back In The High Life” by Steve Winwood plays briefly while he drives through Malibu to reunite with Estevez. While driving in a rental red Camaro, McCarthy talks about his first car at 22 being a 1967 red Camaro. He bought the car in 1984 and the 1987 soul song could have easily been one of the songs McCarthy and others his age listened to while driving around in the late 1980s.

“St. Elmo’s Fire (Man In Motion)”

John Parr

“St. Elmo’s Fire (Man In Motion)” was the main theme for the 1985 movie of the same time, and it almost had to be in Brats. St. Elmo’s Fire is credited as the film that truly solidified “The Brat Pack,” though not every member starred in it. The theme was a #1 hit for John Parr and helped make the film so memorable. McCarthy played the song for his crew and spoke about how the cast had to be in the John Parr music video. As McCarthy said of the song, it was “so of that instant in time.”

“Love Theme From St. Elmo’s Fire (For Just A Moment)”

David Foster

One of McCarthy’s interviewees in Brats was Michael Oates Palmer, an executive television producer known for Cupid (2009), Rubicon (2010), and Condor (2018). After the John Parr song ended, they spoke about the importance of St. Elmo’s Fire’s soundtrack and other soundtracks of that time. As Oates Palmer mentioned, the love instrumental theme from St. Elmo’s Fire, scored by David Foster, also charted, highlighting the film’s popularity and the soundtrack’s influence.

“If You Leave”

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

Oates Palmer also spoke about OMD’s “If You Leave,” which plays at the end of Pretty in Pink when Blane (McCarthy) and Andie (Molly Ringwald) kiss in the parking lot. It’s an iconic movie moment only made better by its soundtrack. Though these past few songs play just briefly to prove a point about the soundtracks in Brats, their little snippets can easily transport viewers back to the 1980s, the first time they watched these films, and the movies themselves.

“Ride Into The Sun”

The Velvet Underground

“Ride Into The Sun” by The Velvet Underground is another song that plays while McCarthy drives. This occurs after McCarthy tells Cryer that Molly Ringwald likely won’t be a part of the documentary as she wants to move forward, followed by footage of an old Judd Nelson interview. The actor also didn’t appear in Brats. The opening lyrics to the song released in 1986 speak towards how McCarthy may have been feeling at that moment after having been somewhat rejected:

“Looking for another place / Somewhere else to be / Looking for another chance / To ride into the sun”

“Forever Young”

Alphaville

Actor Timothy Hutton appeared in the “Brat Pack” documentary, although he wasn’t officially part of the group. The Academy Award-winning star of 1980’s Ordinary People was seen as a figure who helped make young actors sought after and popular. McCarthy looked up to Hutton and while talking, McCarthy shared he wasn’t a “nostalgiac person,” but was finding the making of Brats “deeply moving.” It’s only natural that Alphaville’s 1984 hit “Forever Young,” the ultimate song about nostalgia for one’s youth, plays just after this quote. The moment makes McCarthy emotional, and the song will likely do the same for viewers.

“Don’t You (Forget About Me)”

Zoe Fox and the Rocket Clocks & Simple Minds

The one song practically every Brats viewer was waiting for was “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” made famous by The Breakfast Club soundtrack. It’s the quintessential “Brat Pack” song and accompanies one of movie history’s most iconic music moments. It first plays in Brats as a dramatic, slowed-down cover. Then, Judd finally calls McCarthy, and the documentary cuts to that final shot in The Breakfast Club. This is teasingly where Brats ends, but the end credits song choice was the perfect way to cap things off, allowing viewers to belt out the familiar tune.

Source: New York Magazine