Rob Lowe and '80s heartthrobs return to the spotlight
Rob Lowe is back in the spotlight as both an '80s nostalgia pin-up and a working star: HELLO! Magazine has spotlighted his Brat Pack prime alongside Donnie Wahlberg and other decade heartthrobs, while Blue Harbor and Variance just set a September 18 U.S. theatrical release for his Sundance comedy The Musical.
Key Takeaways
- HELLO! Magazine is revisiting '80s heartthrobs in their prime, with Rob Lowe featured for his Brat Pack era looks and films.
- Rob Lowe's classic credits include The Outsiders, About Last Night... and St. Elmo's Fire, alongside peers like Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy.
- Blue Harbor Entertainment and Variance Films acquired U.S. rights to Sundance comedy The Musical, starring Rob Lowe, Will Brill and Gillian Jacobs.
- The Musical is set for a nationwide U.S. theatrical release on September 18, marking Giselle Bonilla's feature directorial debut.
- The gallery also revisits Donnie Wahlberg, Charlie Sheen, David Hasselhoff, Matt Dillon, Jason Donovan, Simon Le Bon and Tony Danza.
Why is Rob Lowe trending with '80s heartthrobs right now?
Nostalgia for the decade of big hair and bigger screen crushes is having another moment. HELLO! Magazine has published a look back at favourite '80s heartthrobs at the height of their fame, putting Rob Lowe firmly in the mix with Donnie Wahlberg and more.
That timing matters because Lowe is not only a throwback icon. According to Deadline, Blue Harbor Entertainment and Variance Films have picked up U.S. rights to the Sundance comedy The Musical, with a nationwide theatrical release set for September 18.
In other words, fans can swoon over his '80s pin-up years and still catch him in a new release. For more throwback celebrity coverage, explore BlasterPost's Nostalgia: Then & Now category.
How did Rob Lowe become an '80s pin-up?
HELLO! places Rob Lowe in the Brat Pack, the circle of young stars that also included Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy and Ally Sheedy. His delicate features and classic good looks made him a go-to pin-up for teens around the world.
Key credits from that prime include The Outsiders, About Last Night... and St. Elmo's Fire. HELLO! notes that those '80s roles remain a regular sight on screen and show little sign of going out of fashion.
That lasting visibility helps explain why a fresh gallery of Rob Lowe in his prime still lands. The films keep circulating, so the heartthrob image never fully left pop culture.
Who else is on HELLO!'s '80s heartthrobs list?
Beyond Rob Lowe, HELLO! runs through a stacked line-up of decade crush icons. Charlie Sheen is remembered for a flirtatious Ferris Bueller's Day Off cameo with Jennifer Grey and a star turn in Wall Street, plus No Man's Land, Young Guns and Red Dawn.
David Hasselhoff is framed through Knight Rider as Michael Knight and Baywatch as Mitch Buchannon, with music success peaking via Looking for Freedom in 1989. Matt Dillon is credited with Rumble Fish, My Bodyguard and Little Darlings, while The Outsiders kept him in teen hearts, later followed by There's Something About Mary opposite Cameron Diaz.
Donnie Wahlberg is highlighted as a New Kids On The Block centrepiece, with tracks such as You Got It (The Right Stuff), Please Don't Go Girl and I'll Be Loving You (Forever). HELLO! notes brother Mark joined the group for several months.
Jason Donovan is recalled for Neighbours and hits including Especially for You and Too Many Broken Hearts. His on-screen romance with Kylie Minogue's Charlene Mitchell led to a 1987 wedding storyline that drew nearly 20 million UK viewers when it aired in 1988, and became a real-world relationship fans followed closely.
Simon Le Bon appears for Duran Duran hits Hungry Like the Wolf and Rio. Tony Danza is cited for Who's The Boss? as baseball star-turned-housekeeper Tony Micelli, plus Taxi and She's Out of Control, with a boxing past that added to his appeal.
What is Rob Lowe's new movie The Musical about?
Deadline reports that The Musical stars Will Brill, Rob Lowe and Gillian Jacobs. It is the feature directorial debut of actress-turned-filmmaker Giselle Bonilla. Unapologetic Projects Partners is teaming with Blue Harbor and Variance on the release.
The story follows Doug Leibowitz, played by Stereophonic Tony winner Brill, a disgruntled playwright turned middle school theatre teacher who longs for New York. When his ex-girlfriend, played by Jacobs (The Bear, Community), begins dating his nemesis—the school principal Brady, played by Lowe (9-1-1: Lone Star, Parks and Recreation)—Doug's ambitions morph into a revenge plot.
To ruin Brady's reputation and jeopardise a coveted Blue Ribbon award, Doug secretly stages the most inappropriate play imaginable with his middle school students. The film world-premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at Sundance in January.
Rob Lowe is also among the producers, alongside Greg Lauritano, Alexander Heller, Findlay Brown and Jordan Backhus. Bonilla said there is "no greater rush than watching a comedy in a theater with an audience," thanking partners for giving The Musical that chance. The deal was brokered by WME Independent on behalf of the filmmakers.
Put together, the HELLO! gallery and the Deadline release news explain the buzz: Rob Lowe's '80s heartthrob lore is being rediscovered just as he returns to cinemas in a dark Sundance comedy this September.