The Brat Pack characterizes a group of young actors from the '80s who appeared in many coming-of-age teen movies throughout that decade. The name was coined by David Blum in New York Magazine as a take on the Rat Pack.
There are core members, including Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy, as well as others that many believe belong in the "club" as well, like Robert Downey Jr., Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Charlie Sheen, Matthew Broderick, and James Spader.
Many of these actors went on to enjoy successful careers as adults as well, most of which are still active in the industry today. But how do they rank against one another? Here's a look, based on their highest-rated Rotten Tomatoes film.
10 Molly Ringwald – 91% (Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films)
Interestingly, while Ringwald was the "it" girl when it came to playing the girl-next-door type in teen rom-coms of the '80s, like Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles, her highest rated role is actually from this Australian-American comedy documentary film about The Cannon Group, an American group of companies that produced many films from 1967 through to 1994 and bought the rights to many classic film libraries.
Technically, Ringwald was just interviewed in this documentary. Her top acting role score is actually 89% for 1985's The Breakfast Club, followed not far behind by her most recent role in The CW TV series Riverdale (86%).
9 Andrew McCarthy – 92% (New Waterford Girl)
This 1999 Canadian comedy-drama is McCarthy's top-rated film, a series about a teenager living in Nova Scotia who dreams of a bigger life. Of course, as a Brat Packer, McCarthy appeared in iconic movies in the '80s like St. Elmo's Fire, Pretty in Pink, and Less Than Zero.
Today, he works as a director as well, and keen-eyed viewers might have recognized him as Charlie's father Mr. St. George in the latest season of 13 Reasons Why.
8 Ally Sheedy – 94% (Little Sister)
Her highest rated film is actually a relatively new one: a dark comedy from 2016 about a young nun who, after cutting off all contact with her family, goes back to visit her childhood home when her brother returns from Iraq. Sheedy plays the girl's mother.
Coming in a close second is the 1983 film War Games, in which Sheedy alongside fellow Brat Packer (sort of), Matthew Broderick. She was, of course, also in The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire.
7 Anthony Michael Hall – 94% (The Dark Knight)
In the 2008 DC Comics Batman film, the second in The Dark Knight trilogy and the one that earned the late Heath Ledger plenty of accolades for his role as the Joker, Hall had a small role as Mike Engel, the host of the news program Gotham Tonight in Gotham City. Not surprisingly, given that the film was a massive box office success, this is the highest rated one he has been in.
Interestingly, Hall's second-highest ranked film was from the '80s but it wasn't a Brat Pack movie: it was National Lampoon's Vacation, where he played the role of Rusty Griswold, one of many actors who would play that same character over the years. As a Brat Packer, he was in movies like Weird Science, Pretty in Pink, and The Breakfast Club as well.
6 Robert Downey Jr. – 95% (Short Cuts)
Of all of the films that Downey Jr. has starred it, it's strange that this comedy-drama from 1993 ranks highest. Inspired by nine short stories and a poem by Raymond Carver, it follows the lives of 22 characters who are all somehow connected to one another in some way.
Naturally, it has an ensemble cast that includes a number of big-time actors like Julianne Moore, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jack Lemmon, Frances McDormand, Andie MacDowell, and Lily Tomlin, just to name a few. Technically, this top score is tied with his 1989 courtroom drama film True Believer, and right on their heels is Avengers: Endgame, which has a 94% rating, tied with Baby It's You, Iron Man, and Richard III. It's safe to say that Downey Jr. has become the most successful Brat Packer with the biggest box office pull.
5 Emilio Estevez – 98% (Repo Man)
Estevez stars in this sci-fi black comedy as a young man who's into punk rock and is recruited by a car repossession agency. But when his assignment is to locate a Chevrolet Malibu, he discovers a mysterious connection to potential aliens. The film was meant to be satirical, poking fun at the Reagan administration, consumerism, and the Atomic Age.
Beyond that 1984 film, which garnered an almost perfect score, Estevez's next best flick is the Brat Pack classic The Breakfast Club from 1985, which has an 89% rating.
4 Judd Nelson – 100% (Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam)
This is actually a documentary from 1987 featuring letters from real American soldiers as well as archived footage to create a personal experience of the Vietnam War. Nelson provided his vocal talents to narrate some of the story, along with others like Robert De Niro, Willem Dafoe, Robert Downey Jr., and Michael J. Fox.
Like Estevez, Nelson's next highest ranking on the list, and the first one for actually acting, is the 1985 flick The Breakfast Club. It's also his most memorable one, with the final image of him jumping with his fist in the air and his long trench coat blowing in the wind, has become an iconic one from the film.
3 James Spader – 100% (The Music of Chance)
Spader is barely recognizable in this 1993 film as a professional gambler who happens upon a man who has coincidentally just inherited a large amount of money and is looking for a way to spend it. Based on the absurdist novel of the same name by Paul Auster, it remains Spader's highest-ranked role, even after nearly two decades.
His next highest-ranked film is Bob Roberts, where he plays a news anchor, and his best Brat Pack flick in 1989's Sex, Lies and Videotape, which earned a 96% rating. His Brat Pack films include Pretty in Pink, Mannequin, and Less Than Zero, among others.
2 Rob Lowe – 100% (I Am Patrick Swayze)
This 2019 documentary about the life and career of the late actor, told by some of his closest friends and co-workers, received high praise and was universally loved by critics. And because of its perfect score, it remains Lowe's highest-rated film.
When it comes to actual acting projects, however, Lowe's highest-rated film is Behind the Candelabra from 2013, which has a 95% rating followed by 2006's Thank You For Smoking (86%) and 1992's Wayne's World (84%). His Brat Pack movies include everything from The Outsiders to About Last Night and St. Elmo's Fire.
1 Demi Moore – 100% (I Am Patrick Swayze)
Like Lowe, Moore was part of the Patrick Swayze documentary, not surprising given the fact that she starred with the late actor in the widely popular film Ghost.
For her acting talents, Moore's top film is 2011's Margin Call about the financial crash of the late '00s, which earned an 87% rating. Interestingly, Ghost only ranks with a 74%. She was in countless Brat Pack movies as a core member of the group, including About Last Night, One Crazy Summer, No Small Affair, and St. Elmo's Fire, just to name a few.
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