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Tips for Poorly Explaining the Brat Pack to Your Adult Kids

Who forgot to teach them this?

Some Kind of Wonderful movie poster: John Hughes’ movie, with no Brat Pack actors. (Photo by author, taken in 1987)

Should your adult children passingly ask, “What was the Brat Pack?” you may wonder how to answer such a complex question. There is no succinct response, even if you lived through that era of Hollywood productions.

1. Begin by asking them if they know who John Hughes is. They will say no. Then you will have to explain he was a director of many famous movies. Don’t say Home Alone. That will throw them off.
2. Start with the ones that were considered Brat Pack movies. But begin with the obvious ones. Do not say Some Kind of Wonderful. Say Breakfast Club. Do not say Weird Science. Say Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
3. You will lose their attention quickly. But you have to describe how the Brat Pack was a riff on the Rat Pack. They will obviously have no idea what the Rat Pack was. Just say they were a male group of very famous singers and dancers in the 1960s, known for their friendship and their partying. Quickly state that outside of the name similarity, the two packs had nothing in common except fame and partying.
4. Now expand upon the collection of John Hughes’ films. Add Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink to the list. Tell them during the…