Andrew McCarthy Says His Son Wasn't Impressed by “Weekend at Bernie's” (Exclusive)
Andrew McCarthy Says His Son Wasn't Impressed by “Weekend at Bernie's” (Exclusive)
Virginia ChamleeMon, February 23, 2026 at 10:26 PM UTC
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Andrew McCarthy; Weekend at Bernie's
John Nacion/Variety via Getty; Moviestore/Shutterstock
Andrew McCarthy says his kids don't really watch his movies — though his son did watch the 1989 classic Weekend at Bernie's
In the film, McCarthy plays an employee of an insurance company who arrives to his boss' Hamptoms home to discover he's dead
He spoke to PEOPLE about his son's reaction to the movie, and his new book, Who Needs Friends: An Unscientific Examination of Male Friendship Across America
While Andrew McCarthy shot to fame in the 1980s as a member of the Brat Pack — ultimately appearing in dozens of movies — not everyone is a fan of even his most memorable films.
McCarthy, 63, is also a New York Times bestselling author known for memoirs and travelogues, like 2021's Brat: An '80s Story ,Walking with Sam (2022), and The Longest Way Home (2012).
His latest book, Who Needs Friends: An Unscientific Examination of Male Friendship Across America, comes out in March.
Speaking to PEOPLE in a recent interview, the actor and writer said that most of his family members "have never read any of my books," adding, "My kids have never seen my movies, you know, really."
Though there's one movie his son Sam has seen: the 1989 comedy Weekend at Bernie's, in which McCarthy plays an employee of an insurance company who arrives to his boss' Hamptoms home to discover he's dead.
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Weekend at Bernie's
Moviestore/Shutterstock
"Well, my son actually years ago, like when he was 15, I think he saw Weekend at Bernie's, and he was like, 'Dad. I love you. That's the stupidest movie I've ever seen,'" McCarthy laughs. "And I said, 'Well, that's the point, Sammy.'"
McCarthy adds that his daughter was told by her friends to watch another of his classic movies: 1986's Pretty in Pink.
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"Some of her friends — when she was like 16 or something — said, 'You should see Pretty in Pink, your dad's in this movie and it's a really good movie,'" he says. "My daughter watched the trailer for it on YouTube or something, and she saw me kissing Molly [Ringwald], and she said, 'I don't wanna see that.' And I think, you know, that's absolutely the appropriate reaction."
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McCarthy says that it was an offhand comment by his son, who asked, “You don’t really have any friends, do you, Dad?” that inspired his latest book on male friendship.
The book charts his exploration of male friendship, starting with those in his own life. Throughout the course of the book, he spends some ten thousand miles behind the wheel, navigating through Appalachia, the Mississippi Delta, the Chihuahuan Desert, and the Rocky Mountains to reconnect with his friends.
Speaking to PEOPLE, McCarthy says writing allows him to be vulnerable in a way that his kids, at least, seem to notice.
"My daughter did ask me something once, something personal, and then Sam, my eldest son was there, and he said, 'Well, if you wanna know about that, you gotta read his books,'" McCarthy muses. "Which is true because there is something very interesting when you're writing. You will just reveal things on the page that some random stranger you'll never see is gonna sit there and lay in bed and read."
He continues: "It's very liberating... That's what you're after when you're writing, right? You just want people to start nodding their head and go, 'Yeah, I feel like that. My circumstances are entirely different, but I feel like that.'"
Who Needs Friends will be released on March 24, 2026.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
