Home > Drama >

St. Elmo's Fire

Watch Now

St. Elmo's Fire (1985)

June. 28,1985
|
6.4
|
R
| Drama Comedy Romance
Watch Now

A group of friends graduates from the halls of Georgetown University into lives that revolve around sex and career aspirations. Kirby waits tables to pay for law school. His roommate Kevin struggles at a D.C. newspaper as he searches for the meaning of love. Jules may be an object of adoration and envy, but secretly she has problems of her own. Demure Wendy is in love with Billy—a loveable sax player and an irresponsible drunk. Alec wants it all: a career in politics and the appearance of a traditional home life. Alec’s girlfriend, Leslie, is an ambitious architect who doesn't know about his infidelity, but his new allegiance to the Republican Party is already enough to put her off marriage.

...

Watch Trailer

Cast

Similar titles

Reviews

Linbeymusol
1985/06/28

Wonderful character development!

More
Listonixio
1985/06/29

Fresh and Exciting

More
SanEat
1985/06/30

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

More
Hayden Kane
1985/07/01

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

More
oOoBarracuda
1985/07/02

There are collections of despicable characters, and then there's St. Elmo's Fire.Kirby (Emilio Estevez): "She is the only evidence of God I have seen with the exception of the mysterious force that removes one sock from the dryer every time I do my laundry." This guy spent a majority of the movie stalking and attempting to sexually assault someone that smiled at him in college. A truly problematic personality that often tends towards illegal activity which is odd since his career aspirations seemed to be in law. I LOVED his Woody Allen paraphernalia all over his apartment, though.Billy (Rob Lowe): "So you lost your job? I've lost twenty of them since graduation. Plus a wife and kid. And, in a new development this morning, a handful of hair in the shower drain." This guy was a real peach. He practically abandoned his wife and child yet wouldn't grant her the divorce she wanted because he was intent on changing, yet, with no steps or methods to do so. Forcing someone to stay legally bound to you is pretty much as low as it gets.Kevin (Andrew McCarthy): "Love, love is an illusion created by lawyer types like yourself to perpetuate another illusion called marriage to create the reality of divorce and then the illusionary need for divorce lawyers." I actually quite enjoyed this character through most the film. Kevin was constantly spouting philosophical views on life and love that were unpopular amongst his friends but taken for what he is. I'm the Kevin in my social circles, that brings Hegel up in casual conversation but never gets to enjoy the level of acceptance his character does. When it is revealed, however, that Kevin isn't speaking from an ascribed philosophical method, but rather because he is brooding and entitled believing his friend to have gotten the girl that was for him, his entire persona is revealed to be a caricature.Alec (Judd Nelson): "Dinosaurs are obsolete. Marriage is still around." This guy was especially infuriating. I've been involved in politics since I was 16, you can't just switch parties because one pays more. I've tried this, no one trusts you since you've been working for the other party so long, plus all your contacts are within that party. Aside from that, this guy repeatedly cheated on his girlfriend because she refused to marry him; I'm sure those two facts were unrelated, though.Jules (Demi Moore): "I don't know why you're both so worried... So, I bop him for a couple of years, get his job when he gets his hands caught in the vault, do a black mink ad, retire in utter disgrace, then write a best seller and be a fabulous host on my own talk show..." Yeah, this is your typical person that everyone knows at least one of that wants to make a lot of money and spend even more money but not work. At one point in the film, she had taken over a month's worth of advancement on her pay to "pinkify" her apartment and buy a lot of clothes. She also used her sexuality to advance her position whenever she could. The film could have made some statement about what she was trying to fill by spending money so irresponsibly but when her arc did reach its climax she was more upset to not have her material possessions anymore, rather than revealing why she felt as though she needed them in the first place. Oh, she also used the adage "you're gay and I know someone that's gay so you two will be perfect for each other" and I just can't adequately describe how much I detest that.Leslie (Ally Sheedy): "Men... Can't live with 'em, can't shoot 'em." Despite that glowing outlook on a certain subset of the population, this was one of the easier characters to tolerate. Her character almost solely existed as someone else's counterpart which is more than frustrating but that problem rests on the filmmaker than the character. I mean, did she ever talk about anything other than Alec? Barely.Wendy (Mare Winningham): Again, one of the more likable characters which is truly fortunate as I needed some glimmer of something to hang onto in an otherwise dreadful film. Wendy was expected to live at home until she was married which led to her father practically auctioning off the rest of her life to potential suitors. Again, her character arc centered around a man so this will never be considered a feminist film, but Wendy's is one that you can almost feel a bit of sympathy towards.Again, a film doesn't require likable characters, as long as the film own that they're terrible people. It's when a film is asking me to sympathize with characters with no redeeming qualities that problems ensue.

More
Dandy_Desmond
1985/07/03

Just like Rob Lowes speech at the end to try and sum up the movie- about St Elmos Fire not really being there and nothing really matters etc - I don't think my review will make sense...However I find St Elmos Fire very watchable. I have nothing in common with any of the characters, but isn't a movie a kind of escapism? I'm English and this is a time and place in America that I like to think existed, but know really didn't. So now and again I whack it in the DVD player and transport myself to a time you could run off to New York with just your sax and a head full of dreams while your gaggle of quirky friends cry and wave you goodbye... ah the 80s. Such a film would not be made now. If I could however I would find a way to cut Emilio Estevez out of the film. Like completely. The character creeps me out and don't understand the point of him or his ridiculous celebration following his awful pouncing on poor Andie McDowell.Other than that the other characters and their various intertwining stories are interesting enough and are made better by the brat pack themselves. I really can't explain why but I hated this film back in the day... maybe I realise that sometimes you need that earnest type of film only the 80s can deliver. And St Elmos does that. See? Total nonsense.

More
grantss
1985/07/04

Seven friends have just finished university and are starting out in their careers. They are having to come to terms with careers, having to be more responsible, to fend for themselves and with all the decisions and issues life throws at them. Some are coping better than others and some aren't coping at all.The central plot alone should make this an interesting movie. The whole student-to-responsible adult transition genre is always a sure hit with people going through that phase and people wanting to relive that phase. However, St. Elmo's Fire doesn't examine this very well - quite dull at times and quite superficial.This isn't helped by the characters. Most of them are quite stereotypical and aren't that likable or are, at best, dull. Ally Sheedy and Mare Winningham's characters would be the exceptions but even they are hardly people you can really get behind. On the upside, some of the sub-plots are reasonably interesting and the chemistry between the main stars is good. There is a decent feeling of camaraderie, which helps the nostalgia vibe the movie was setting out to achieve.The casting helps too. This was the movie that coined the term "The Brat Pack", referring to the host of young up-and-coming actors and actresses that were taking Hollywood by storm. Many of them had worked together in The Breakfast Club, helping the chemistry. Not that the performances are necessarily great, individually, but together they work well.Not great, but it'll do.

More
MovieLoverToo
1985/07/05

I had seen bits and pieces of this movie over the years and had heard about it but never really seen the whole movie. Also I don't think I really understood it fully in the 80s being so young.Seeing it recently now that Im an adult I fully grasp the realities of life it was portraying in the 80s. The characters are so finely tuned and precise it looks as though they had a lot of time to rehearse and discuss their roles together as a cast. This is really rare in film production where some actors come together on day 1 and start shooting. Nevertheless it is a beautiful coherent and concise cast all performing as one.The story is very well crafted and precise as well. The result is a great film with intense and real emotions that are fresh and striking. I fell completely into their world in the 80s.The movie is a real Icon of its time and real artistic expression of life and survival in the world in the 80s.

More