Andrew McCarthy recently directed the Brats documentary on Hulu, and with that, he proves he’s an underrated member of the Brat Pack. Brat Pack explores the effect of the Brat Pack nickname on the young group of actors given it in the 1980s, and the careers of the actors are called into question. In the documentary, McCarthy instigates conversations with his fellow Brat Pack members about how the label affected their careers. Throughout the documentary, it becomes clear that the label affected the actors’ perceptions of themselves, with McCarthy exploring his shortcomings in the conversations.

The documentary featured McCarthy’s fellow Brat Pack members Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Demi Moore, and Rob Lowe. McCarthy’s conversations with Estevez and Sheedy evoke a sense of what their careers could have been had the article never deemed them “Hollywood’s Brat Pack” in New York Magazine. Despite his perceived shortcomings, McCarthy has played many roles in movies and television series, proving he is a talented actor. While McCarthy is undoubtedly underrated, his performances are a receipt of his talent.

10

Class (1983)

Andrew McCarthy’s Debut Film

Starring alongside Jacqueline Bisset and fellow Brat Pack actor Rob Lowe, Class was Andrew McCarthy’s debut film. It was a breakout performance for the actor. Andrew McCarthy portrays Jonathan Ogner in the movie, who attends a prep school and shares a room with Rob Lowe’s Skip character. Immediately upon Jonathan’s arrival, Skip humiliates Jonathan by convincing him that seniors parade around campus in girls’ underwear. The two become fast friends when Jonathan returns a prank on Rob Lowe. They soon venture outside the prep school grounds, and Jonathan finds himself in a relationship with a much older woman.

It’s eventually revealed that the woman Andrew McCarthy’s character is seeing is Skip’s mother. The lovers uncover the awkward circumstances when Jonathan comes home with Rob Lowe’s character for the holidays. It was a compelling narrative for McCarthy’s breakout performance and a film that might not receive the green light today due to the nature of the relationship. McCarthy was both comedic and grave in his inaugural role, establishing himself as an actor with a wide range early on.

9

St. Elmo’s Fire (1985)

McCarthy’s Role in St. Elmo’s Fire Solidified His Place In The Brat Pack

Starring alongside his fellow Brat Pack actors, Andrew McCarthy’s portrayal of Kevin Dolenz in St. Elmo’s Fire solidified his standing in the group. The film follows college graduates exploring the complexities of entering young adult life. Their old friend group dynamic clashes with how their personal lives evolve as time progresses. Despite their bond, the St. Elmo’s Fire characters grow apart as young adults. This is encapsulated when Alec and Kevin make up at the movie’s end but decide to go somewhere other than St. Elmo’s to signify that their friendship will live on outside what they established in college.

Despite mixed reviews, St. Elmo’s Fire became known as a Brat Pack cult classic. It established the film’s stars as the core Brat Pack members, set in stone when the Brat Pack article came out the same summer in 1985. McCarthy stars alongside Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Mare Winningham, and Andie MacDowell. The film’s stars also appeared in a music video for the feature song in the movie, St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion), performed by John Parr. Sony has announced the possibility of a St. Elmo’s Fire remake.

8

Pretty in Pink (1986)

Blane McDonough Is One Of Pretty In Pink’s Most Memorable Characters

In another Brat Pack cult classic, Andrew McCarthy starred in Pretty in Pink alongside Molly Ringwald and Jon Cryer. The movie was written by legendary Brat Pack director John Hughes and directed by Howard Deutch. Andrew McCarthy portrays Blane McDonough, a “richie” who falls for Molly Ringwald’s Andie Walsh. The two have a strong connection but come from different walks of life, which is evident on Blane and Andie’s first date. Blane takes Andie to a house party, and McDonough’s affluent friends mistreat her. Blane takes Andie home, despite her not wanting him to see where she lives.

Blane initially asks Andie to prom, but then tells her he has another date due to pressure from his wealthy friends to distance himself. Prom concludes the film, where Blane apologizes to Andie, and they ultimately kiss in the parking lot. In Brats, Howard Deutch explained that Pretty in Pink’s original ending was changed. Andie was supposed to end up with Ducky, but the happy ending was booed at the test screening. Viewers’ need to see Andie with Blane at the end of Pretty in Pink is a testament to McCarthy’s ability to portray the complexity of the Blane character.

7

Mannequin (1987)

A Strange Film That Added Diversity to McCarthy’s Filmography

Andrew McCarthy stars alongside Kim Cattrall in Mannequin, portraying Jonathan Switcher, a mannequin artisan. The mannequin, created by Switcher and portrayed by Cattrall, is embodied by the spirit of a woman looking for true love. Jonathan is initially separated from what he considers his best work, but he later sees the mannequin in a department store window, where he subsequently gets a job. The two elevate the company to great commercial success, attracting the ire of the rival department store (Jonathan’s former employer). This incites the competing company to steal Jonathan’s attention-attracting mannequin.

On the verge of being destroyed, the mannequin comes to life permanently as Jonathan saves her and realizes true love. McCarthy’s portrayal of Jonathan Switcher earned him the Best Actor award for Mannequin at the 1987 Fantafestival. The movie marks a time when the young Brat Pack actors began to distance themselves from their fellow actors with the label. Therefore, McCarthy’s role in Mannequin started to diversify his filmography and challenge the actor outside the confines of the Brat Pack. It was a memorable performance for that actor, who accomplished a compelling blend of obscurity and comedy.

6

Weekend at Bernie’s (1989)

Weekend at Bernie’s Is A Classic ’80s Comedy

Andrew McCarthy continued to pursue obscure comedy in the late 1980s with his role in Weekend at Bernie’s. McCarthy stars as Larry Wilson, a New York City corporate employee who uncovers a mistake in paperwork with his friend Richard’s help and alerts the CEO to prevent insurance fraud. CEO Bernie Lomax appears pleased and invites the pair to his house in The Hamptons as a reward to celebrate their discovery. But, as it turns out, Bernie is intentionally committing the fraud and plans a hit on Larry and Richard with his mob partner over the weekend.

When Bernie arrives at the house first, the hit is performed on Bernie as revenge for sleeping with his partner’s girlfriend and is staged as an overdose. When Larry and Richard arrive and find Bernie’s dead body, they have no time before the guests arrive for the party, leaving them with no choice but to pretend Bernie is still alive by manipulating his corpse. The charade continues all weekend until Bernie’s assassin returns to finish the job and is restrained by Larry until the police arrive to arrest the killer.

5

The Joy Luck Club (1993)

One Of Andrew McCarthy’s More Dramatic Films

Andrew McCarthy’s participation in The Joy Luck Club further diversified his acting portfolio. McCarthy portrays Ted Jordan, son-in-law of the Joy Luck Club member An-Mei. The 1993 drama centers on four women who emigrated from China and swapped life stories while bonding over games of mahjong. The film featured a robust Asian-American cast, and each character has a complex tapestry of experiences that make them who they are. After marrying Rose, after confronting his racist mother, Ted becomes controlling of the flow of time in his relationship and is ignorant of how it affects his wife.

When Rose confides in An-Mei about her difficult situation, An-Mei recounts to Rose her mother’s tragic circumstances that resulted in her not sticking up for herself, advising Rose that for things to change, she must stand up for herself. Rose confronts Ted, saying he needs to treat her with respect, or she will do what is best for her and her daughter and leave. Faced with the reality of his situation, Ted begins to change and makes amends, with the couple appearing happy together at the movie’s end.

4

Mulholland Falls (1996)

A Rare Crime Movie For Andrew McCarthy

Mulholland Falls follows a squad of four detectives in Los Angeles, California, in the early 1950s. Andrew McCarthy portrays Jimmy Fields, the friend of a local woman named Allison, whom he videotapes having sexual relationships with influential figures of the community and government at a local hotel. When the detectives are called to the scene of a construction site to investigate a dead woman, lead detective Lieutenant Maxwell Hoover immediately recognizes the woman as Allison, a sex worker he’s had relations with in the past. The detectives subsequently receive an explicit film of the woman, Alison, that Jimmy Fields created.

Upon being confronted by the squad, Jimmy admits that he and Alison made the video, in addition to many more compromising videos, including ones with Allison and Hoover together. While the squad is supposed to be protecting Jimmy, he is murdered under their supervision. Ultimately, elements of radioactive glass found in Allison’s foot lead the detectives to the Nevada Test Site (NTS), where Colonel Fitzgerald suspiciously doesn’t want the squad to investigate. After he is blackmailed with more explicit tapes that implicate him, Hoover confronts Colonel Fitzgerald with evidence of being the killer.

3

Things I Never Told You (1996)

An Emotionally Vulnerable Performance For McCarthy

McCarthy portrays Don Henderson in Things I Never Told You, a Spanish-American rom-com set in the Pacific Northwest. Henderson is a real estate agent who soothes his depressive feelings by volunteering for the crisis hotline. When Ana calls the crisis hotline with Don on the other line, they have an immediate connection, until she hangs up on Don because he says he doesn’t know what love is. After some time, Don goes to the camera store to buy a camera, where he recognizes an employee, Ana, from a remark she made similar to when they were on the phone.

After connecting over their laundry, the couple spends an intimate night together before Ana ghosts Don. When Don is called to help with an emergency involving a person he counsels, he is badly injured while resolving the crisis. Despite being at his side in the hospital, Ana leaves town when her ex-boyfriend contacts her to get back together. The movie ends ambiguously with a recovered Don in the park being greeted at a picnic bench by Ana. McCarthy’s portrayal of Don Henderson flexes his ability to be emotionally vulnerable on the screen.

2

Lipstick Jungle (2008-2009)

Andrew McCarthy Tries Out His Directing Talents

Andrew McCarthy portrays Joe Bennett in Lipstick Jungle, the NBC television adaptation of a novel of the same name. The novel Lipstick Jungle was published in 2005 by author Candace Bushnell, nine years after her debut novel, Sex and the City. The Lipstick Jungle story features a similar premise to Bushnell’s other television-adapted work, based on Sex and the City, with the former following the lives of working women in New York City. It’s McCarthy’s second run-in with the Sex and the City franchise, after starring in Mannequin with SATC star Kim Cattrall.

Joe Bennett is Lipstick Jungle’s equivalent of Mr. Big in Sex and the City. Early in the show, in Lipstick Jungle season 1, episode 2, Joe begins a situationship with fashion designer Victory Ford. Bennett is a billionaire who helps finance his girlfriend’s business, among other endeavors. McCarthy’s character pursues his desire for love while respecting Victory’s personal and professional boundaries. Throughout their relationship, Joe and Victory balance being working professionals while overcoming their overprotective guard and opening up to one another. The series lasted two seasons, and McCarthy was a recurring character in both.

1

Camp Hell (2009)

Andrew McCarthy Tries His Hand In Horror

Camp Hell is an American horror film. Andrew McCarthy plays Michael Leary, a fundamentalist Catholic father raising his family in a traditional New Jersey suburb. The Catholic community sends their kids to Camp Hope every summer, where they are taught that nearly everything they do is a sin. Michael sends his son Tommy to Camp Hope after Tommy’s grandfather passes away, which greatly affects Tommy. Shortly after, Tommy is caught sneaking away with his crush and set to receive special attention from the priest.

After experiencing physiological distress caused by the priest, Tommy confronts the priest. Then, he stages a near-life-threatening accident that leads to the priest having a stroke and being immobilized. As Michael drives Tommy home from the hospital to finish recovering, he finds a note from his crush telling him where they can meet and continue their romance. Andrew McCarthy‘s stint with horror in Camp Hell proves he’s a versatile actor willing to take on the complexities of religious commentary.