Frat Pack

The Frat Pack is a colloquial fan term for a group of actor/writer/director/all-round-movie-guys who specialise in comedy.

The name "Frat Pack" originates from one of their early defining works, Old School; not as a phrase dropped in-show but as a reference to their post-teen juvenile brand of comedy, while alluding to names like "Rat Pack" or "Brat Pack" given to other known groups of actors.

The Frat Pack comprises (to date) Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Will Ferrell, Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson and Steve Carell, while boasting a plethora of Pledges (rising talents), Sorority Sisters (female friends), fellow Saturday Night Live alumni and other friends including Christine Taylor, Justin Long, Judd Apatow, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett, Bill Hader, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Amy Adams, John C Reilly and many more.

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Known Frat Pack collaborations include:

 * Heat Vision and Jack (un-picked-up pilot, has since become a cult favourite, stars Black and the voice of Owen Wilson, featuring Christine Taylor, Stiller and Ron Silver, also written and directed by Stiller)
 * Meet the Parents (stars Stiller and Robert De Niro, Owen Wilson has a supporting role)
 * Followed by Meet the Fockers (adds Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand to the cast) and Little Fockers
 * The Royal Tenenbaums (starring Stiller and the Wilsons)
 * Zoolander (starring Stiller, Owen Wilson, Ferrell and Christine Taylor)
 * Old School (the defining work, stars Luke Wilson, Vaughn and Ferrell)
 * Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (stars Vaughn, Stiller and Christine Taylor)
 * Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (The one where people really started to notice how clique-y this particular batch of stars were, stars Ferrell and Carell, has cameos by all the others save Owen Wilson)
 * Starsky and Hutch (stars Stiller and Owen Wilson, baddies played by Vaughn and Jason Bateman, Will Ferrel cameos)
 * Wedding Crashers (stars Owen Wilson and Vaughn, with a cameo by Ferrell)
 * Tenacious D in The Pick Of Destiny (stars Black and Kyle Gass, has cameos by Stiller, Tim Robbins, Amy Poehler and Amy Adams)
 * Night at the Museum (stars Stiller and Owen Wilson, supporting cast includes Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais and Robin Williams)
 * The sequel adds Hank Azaria, Bill Hader and Amy Adams to the cast.
 * Blades of Glory (stars Ferrell and Jon Heder, produced by Stiller, has Will Arnett and Amy Poehler in supporting roles)
 * Tropic Thunder (Crowning Work of Awesome, stars Stiller, Black and Robert Downey Jr, with Steve Coogan )
 * Owen Wilson was slated to be in it but dropped out after his suicide attempt

Notable non-collaborations (only one member) that embody the Frat Pack spirit include:

 * There's Something About Mary (stars Stiller)
 * Idiocracy (stars Luke Wilson)
 * Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (stars Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen, has Amy Adams and John C Reilly in supporting roles)
 * You, Me and Dupree (stars Owen Wilson and Matt Dillon)
 * The 40-Year-Old Virgin (stars Carell)
 * Semi-Pro (stars Ferrell)
 * Step Brothers (stars Ferrell and John C Reilly)
 * Couples Retreat (stars Vaughn)
 * Date Night (stars Carell and Tina Fey)
 * The Other Guys (stars Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg)

In addition to the above, there's several movies involving none of the core members, but retain their flavor thanks to the work of their collaborators - Knocked Up, Superbad and Hot Rod among them.

Associated Tropes:

 * Badass Grandpa ("You're my boy, Blue!", Patches in Dodgeball)
 * Beware the Nice Ones (a recurring theme)
 * Break the Haughty (a recurring Will Ferrell theme)
 * The Cameo (Dozens.)
 * Retroactive Recognition (Seth Rogen is a cameraman in Anchorman. Justin Long aka "Mac" was in Dodgeball. Luke Wilson spent the night with Kim Bauer. Just to name a few.)
 * Casting Gag
 * Catch Phrase (parodied in Anchorman)
 * Follow the Leader (You know you've made it when Seltzer and Frieberg rip off your ideas)
 * Naked People Are Funny (Will Ferrel running around in tightey-whities is probably a trope unto itself)
 * Production Posse (The modern Trope Codifier.)
 * Zoolander in particular features Ben Stiller's wife and father in prominent roles.
 * Will Arnett and Amy Poehler play brother and sister in Blades of Glory -
 * Refuge in Audacity
 * Serious Business (rock music in Pick of Destiny, anything starring Will Ferrell)
 * Shout-Out (dozens OF dozens)