Rob Lowe: The Outsider – The Life and Career of the American Actor Arrives on Netflix

There was once the Eighties, and there was once the Brat Pack: this is what they were called, drawing inspiration from Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack, that group of young American actors and actresses who, by acting in numerous blockbuster films dealing with youth and coming-of-age themes, changed the face of Hollywood a bit during that period. Alongside figures like Emilio Estevez, the very young Demi Moore, and also Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald and many others, the leading representative of the Brat Pack was Rob Lowe, the handsome and troubled performer of films such as The Outsiders, St. Elmo’s Fire, About Last Night…, Illegally Yours, Bad Influence and many more.
As with the script of a certain decadent Hollywood, Lowe’s life and career soon fell from the stars to the gutter due to the usual issues: sexual scandals, alcohol and substance abuse, and ailments hidden behind dazzling smiles and a mouth full of 32 teeth.
All of this, including his comebacks and the second artistic life, which also includes series such as The West Wing (now recently back on Prime Video) and Parks & Recreation, is recounted in a documentary that we will see starting November 24 on Netflix, titled Rob Lowe: The Outsider. It was directed by Chris Smith, the director of Tiger King and Fyre, and of course it comprises a wealth of archival material and interviews with Lowe’s old and new friends and family (Lowe has said he was “flattered and anxious” at the request to authorize the film, and that Smith has made “an extraordinary film”).
Here is the trailer for Rob Lowe: The Outsider.