and supposed arrogance. Nearly four decades later, he would return directly to that complicated history in his documentary Brats.
McCarthy’s status as a romantic lead grew considerably the following year. In 1986, he appeared opposite Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink, directed by Howard Deutch and written by John Hughes. McCarthy played Blane McDonough, the wealthy student who develops a relationship with Ringwald’s working-class character, Andie Walsh. The movie explored adolescence, social divisions, friendships, insecurity, and the pressure to fit within a particular group. McCarthy’s restrained performance complemented Ringwald’s more
