The "Frat Pack" is a nickname given to a group of comedy actors who have appeared together
in many of the highest-grossing comedy movies since the late 1990s.
The group is usually considered to include Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Owen Wilson, Luke
Wilson, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, and Steve Carell.
The term was used by USA Today in a June 2004 story and was soon picked up by other media
outlets.
Before USA Today dubbed this group the "Frat Pack," Entertainment Weekly had referred to
them as the "Slacker Pack," having earlier coined the term "Frat Pack" to describe actors
Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Edward Norton, and Ryan Phillippe,
who have done dramatic roles together.
By 2005, Entertainment Weekly had dropped the "Slacker Pack" term and followed suit,
referring to the younger crop of actors as the "Frat Pack."
The name is an allusion to the Rat Pack, combined with a reference to the group's popular fraternity-related
film, Old School, and the sophomoric style of humor employed in many of their films.
Ben Stiller has decried the use of the term, saying, "I think the whole thing about the
Frat Pack group is completely fabricated anyway."
Membership
Initially, the core members included Jack Black, Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn,
and brothers Owen Wilson and Luke Wilson, all of whom were recognized by USA Today in
an early feature.
Later, Steve Carell was also included in the Pack.
The previous year, USA Today had listed him, along with Paul Rudd, David Koechner, and
Leslie Mann, among the Frat Pack's "Junior Varsity".
While hosting Saturday Night Live in September 2005, Carell indirectly claimed membership
by mentioning Stiller, Vaughn, Ferrell, Owen Wilson, and Black, and saying he was "one
of those guys now".
In 2005, Details Magazine called Judd Apatow, Adam McKay, and Todd Phillips "The Frat Packagers".
A year later, Paul Rudd was called a Frat Pack member by the New York Post and other
publications.
Asked by an interviewer with The Advocate whether Knocked Up would usher him into the
Frat Pack, Rudd said he was a "pledge" that hasn't "been initiated yet into the brotherhood."
Years later, in a 2011 interview, Rudd acknowledged his association with the group by saying,
"As far as the Frat Pack concept goes, I'm happy to be included.
I think the elder statesmen in it are really talented, and I'm a fan of all of them."
In a 2008 interview with Moviefone's Unscripted, Jack Black jokingly initiated Robert Downey,
Jr. into the Frat Pack, due to his starring role in Tropic Thunder with Black and Ben
Stiller.
The members of the Frat Pack have worked regularly with certain directors.
Wes Anderson is a college friend of the Wilsons and directed them in both Bottle Rocket and
The Royal Tenenbaums.
Todd Phillips directed Old School and Starsky & Hutch.
Adam McKay directed Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Talladega Nights: The Ballad
of Ricky Bobby, and Step Brothers, which included John C. Reilly as a lead role.
Judd Apatow is the writer/producer of several Frat Pack comedies, including Anchorman: The
Legend of Ron Burgundy.
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 co-creator of The Ben Stiller Show.
Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin worked again with Vince Vaughn for the Christmas
comedy Fred Claus.
The Farrelly Brothers have directed Frat Pack members Ben Stiller in There's Something About
Mary and The Heartbreak Kid, Jack Black in Shallow Hal and Owen Wilson in Hall Pass.
After The 40-Year-Old Virgin, there has been a consensus for branding a Team Apatow or
the Apatow Mafia, which takes its name from the director/producer Judd Apatow.
This group of young actors, consisting of Seth Rogen, Danny McBride, Paul Rudd, Jason
Segel, Jonah Hill, James Franco, Craig Robinson, in addition to appearing frequently in films
of the Frat Pack, frequently collaborate with each other.
Many fans also consider them as integral members of the Frat Pack.
Filmography All members of the Frat Pack have never appeared
in a single movie together; they have come closest in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,
which featured all but Owen Wilson.
Also, Will Ferrell, Ben Stiller, and David Koechner have all been cast members on Saturday
Night Live, and, except for Owen Wilson, all members have hosted Saturday Night Live.
Will Ferrell, David Koechner, and Jack Black have made guest appearances on The Office
with Steve Carell.
They have also all presented during the Academy Awards.
See also The Happy Madison Gang - Another team of comedians
led by Adam Sandler consisting of Rob Schneider, David Spade, Steve Buscemi, Kevin James, Chris
Rock, Chris Farley, John Turturro, Nick Swardson, Jon Lovitz, Allen Covert, Kevin Nealon, Blake
Clark, Jonathan Loughran and Peter Dante Brit Pack – 1980s
Splat Pack References
External links The Frat Pack Tribute, a website detailing
recent information and news about the Frat Pack
Boys' Own Stories from Sight and Sound magazine, tracing the history of the Frat Pack
Timeline of movies for Owen Wilson and Will Ferrell
Timeline of movies for Will Ferrel and Ben Stiller