Frat Pack

The "Frat Pack" is a 1990s-2000s era nickname given to a group of male Hollywood comedy actors who have appeared together in many of the highest grossing comedy movies since the late 1990s, including Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, and Steve Carell. The term was used by "USA Today" in a June 2004 story, [cite news |author=Wloszczyna, Susan |title=Wilson and Vaughn: Leaders of the 'Frat Pack' |work=USA Today |url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2004-06-15-frat-pack_x.htm |date=2004-06-15] and was soon picked up by other media outlets as well. [cite news |author=Wloszczyna, Susan |title=Life in the 'Frat Pack': If a few charming actors make funny movies, that's comedy, not conspiracy |work=Chicago Sun-Times |date=2004-06-21] [cite news |author=Randall, Laura |title=Unlikely heroes of the box office: The Frat Pack; Hollywood's posse of comedians hang out together and star in each other's hit films |work=The Christian Science Monitor |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0709/p11s01-almo.html |date=2004-07-09] Before "USA Today" dubbed this group the "Frat Pack", "Entertainment Weekly" had referred to them as the "Slacker Pack," [cite news |author=Rich, Joshua |title=Comedy's funniest serial sidekicks |work=Entertainment Weekly |url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/commentary/0,6115,611646_1%7C7045%7C%7C0_0_,00.html |date=2004-04-23] having earlier coined the term "Frat Pack" to describe Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Edward Norton, and Ryan Phillippe. [cite news |author=Daly, Steve |title=Introducing The Frat Pack |work=Entertainment Weekly |url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,282766,00.html |date=1998-04-24] By 2005, "EW" had dropped the "Slacker Pack" term and followed suit, referring to the newer crop of actors as the "Frat Pack". [cite news |author=Lundegaard, Erik |title=Frat Packers just get better: Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell and company take over Hollywood |work=msnbc.com |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8500264/ |date=2005-07-14] [cite news |author=Kane, Michael |title=The Frat Pack - How a Dozen Doofs Saved Comedy |work=New York Post |date=2005-08-14] [cite news |author=Susman, Gary |title=Who's the Kevin Bacon of comedy? |work=Entertainment Weekly |url=http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2005/08/whos_the_kevin_.html |date=2005-08-17] The name is taken from the Rat Pack combined with a reference to the group's popular fraternity-related film, "Old School." In December 2007, Italian cinema magazine Nocturno published the first 70 pages dossier completely dedicated to the Frat Pack phenomenon.

Membership

Initially, the core members included Jack Black, Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, and brothers Owen Wilson and Luke Wilson as members of the group. [cite news |title=These guys would be great to hang out with |work=USA Today |url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2004-06-16-fratpackchart.htm |date=2004-06-17] [cite news |author=Johns, Ian |title=Laughing all the way to the bank |work=The Times |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,14931-2257252,00.html |date=2006-07-06 ] Later, Steve Carell was also included in the Pack. [cite news |title=Frat Pack persona: Archetype casting |url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2006-07-12-fratpack-chart_x.htm |work=USA Today |date=2006-07-13] Carell claimed membership when hosting "Saturday Night Live". Though he did not use the term "Frat Pack," he did say he was "one of those guys now" and specifically referenced Stiller, Vaughn, Ferrell, Owen Wilson, and Black.

A year before citing Carell as a member, "USA Today" tagged him, in addition to Judd Apatow, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Mindy Kaling, Nancy Walls and Leslie Mann as the Frat Pack's "Junior Varsity." [cite news |author=Breznican, Anthony |title=Carell just wants some love |work=USA Today |url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2005-08-11-steve-carell_x.htm |date=2005-08-11] Kaling and Walls haven't been as associated with the group elsewhere, but Details Magazine has cited Apatow (in addition to directors McKay and Phillips) as "The Frat Packagers", [ [http://men.style.com/details/features/full?id=content_4990&pageNum=6 The Power 50: DETAILS Article on men.style.com] ] while Paul Rudd was cited as a Frat Pack member in the "New York Post", among other publications. [cite news |author=Stewart, Sara |title=Boys' Life - Frat Pack Back on Track this Summer |work=New York Post |date=2006-04-20] [cite news |author=Garcia, Chris |title=Hollywood's funny frat pack |work=Austin American-Statesman |url=http://www.austin360.com/movies/content/movies/stories/2007/06/0622garciacolumn.html |date=2007-06-22] In an interview with "The Advocate", when questioned if "Knocked Up" will officially welcome him into the Frat Pack, Rudd speculated that he is a "pledge" that hasn't "been initiated yet into the brotherhood." [ [http://www.advocate.com/currentstory1_w.asp?id=41424 Issue Number 980 | Big gay following: Paul Rudd | Advocate.com] ]

The members of the Frat Pack often work with certain directors multiple times. Wes Anderson is a college friend of the Wilsons and directed them in both "Bottle Rocket" and "The Royal Tenenbaums" (which also starred Stiller) while Todd Phillips directed both "Old School" and "Starsky & Hutch". Adam McKay directed ', and '. Judd Apatow is the writer/producer of several Frat Pack comedies including '. He made his directorial debut with "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" starring Steve Carell, and followed up with "Knocked Up" starring Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd, with a cameo by Carell. Apatow was also a cocreator of "The Ben Stiller Show". "Wedding Crashers" director David Dobkin worked again with Vince Vaughn for the Christmas comedy "Fred Claus" (2007). Subsequently, John C. Reilly who co-starred with Will Ferrell and director Adam McKay in ' (2006) and "Step Brothers" has also worked several times with Jack Black ("Tenacious D (TV series)", "Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny", "Walk Hard"). Reilly also sang at the 2007 Academy Awards with Ferrell and Black.

Filmography

Although all Frat Pack members have never appeared in a single movie together, they have come closest in "", which featured all but Owen Wilson (chiefly in minor roles and cameos).

Other films

Comedy films that involve only one primary Frat Packer, among other close contributors, with at least one of these in a large role include:
*"High Fidelity" (2000)
*"School of Rock" (2003)
*"The 40-Year-Old Virgin" (2005)
*"The Break-Up" (2006)
*"" (2006)
*"You, Me and Dupree" (2006)
*"Idiocracy" (2006)
*"" (2007)
*"Blonde Ambition" (2007)
*"" (2008)
*"Drillbit Taylor" (2008)
*"Semi-Pro" (2008)
*"Kung Fu Panda" (2008)
*"Get Smart" (2008)
*"Step Brothers" (2008)
*"Tenure" (2009)

Awards, nominations and other distinctions

*Ben Stiller is the only member ever to win an Emmy.
*Owen Wilson is the only member to be nominated for an Academy Award.
*Steve Carell is the only member to ever win a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award or Writers Guild Award.
*All members have been presenters at the Academy Awards.
*Except for Owen Wilson, all members have hosted "Saturday Night Live".
*Jack Black is the only member to be a musical guest on "Saturday Night Live" (as part of Tenacious D).
*Will Ferrell [cite web |url=http://snl.jt.org/cast.php?i=WiFe |title=SNL Archives Cast] , Ben Stiller [cite web |url=http://snl.jt.org/cast.php?i=BeSt |title=SNL Archives Cast] and David Koechner [cite web |url=http://snl.jt.org/cast.php?i=DaKo |title=SNL Archives Cast] have all been cast members on "Saturday Night Live".
*Will Ferrell, Jack Black, Steve Carell and Paul Rudd have all appeared on David Koechner's "Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show".

ee also

* Rat Pack
* Brat Pack
* Splat Pack
* Typecasting
* Heat Vision and Jack - a failed Frat Pack pilot starring Jack Black and Owen Wilson, directed by Ben Stiller.

References

External links

* [http://allyburguieres.com/wp/?p=34/url/ Metalanguage, Comedy, and the 'Frat Pack' as Community of Practice: What does that even mean?] , a graduate-level paper detailing the use of common language in five Frat Pack films.
* [http://www.the-frat-pack.com/ The Frat Pack Tribute] , a website detailing recent information and news about the Frat Pack
* [http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/feature/49433 Boys' Own Stories] from "Sight and Sound" magazine, tracing the history of the Frat Pack