in the romantic comedy Mannequin. The film was not universally admired by critics, but it became another recognizable title from the decade. McCarthy played Jonathan Switcher, an artist whose department-store mannequin mysteriously comes to life. The movie’s mixture of fantasy, romance, and broad comedy differed substantially from the adolescent tension of Pretty in Pink. It further demonstrated his commercial appeal across several varieties of mainstream entertainment.
That same year, he appeared in Less Than Zero, an adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s novel. The film presented a much darker
