St. Elmo's Fire (1985)

A Group of friends, just out of college, struggle with adulthood. Their main problem is that they're all self-centered and obnoxious.

Director:

Joel Schumacher

Writers:

Joel Schumacher, Carl Kurlander

Stars:

Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Emilio Estevez	...	Kirby Keger
Rob Lowe	...	Billy Hicks
Andrew McCarthy	...	Kevin Dolenz
Demi Moore	...	Jules
Judd Nelson	...	Alec Newbary
Ally Sheedy	...	Leslie Hunter
Mare Winningham	...	Wendy Beamish
Martin Balsam	...	Mr. Beamish
Andie MacDowell	...	Dale Biberman
Joyce Van Patten	...	Mrs. Beamish
Jenny Wright	...	Felicia
Blake Clark	...	Wally
Jon Cutler	...	Howie Krantz
Matthew Laurance	...	Ron Dellasandro
Gina Hecht	...	Judith

Storyline

Seven friends - Alec, Billy, Jules, Kevin, Kirby, Leslie and Wendy - are trying to navigate through life and their friendships following college graduation. Alec, who aspires to political life, has just shown his true colors by changing his allegiance from Democrat to Republican, which freaks out girlfriend Leslie, who he wants to marry. Budding architect Leslie, on the other hand, has an independent streak. She believes she has to make a name for herself to find out who she is before she can truly commit to another person in marriage. But Leslie and Alec have decided to live together. Because Leslie refuses to marry Alec, he believes that justifies certain behavior. Kirby, who wants to become a lawyer and who pays for his schooling by working as a waiter at their local hangout called St. Elmo's Bar, and struggling writer Kevin are currently roommates. They are on opposite extremes of the romance spectrum. Kirby has just reconnected with Dale Biberman, a slightly older woman he knew ...

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Plot Keywords:

college | friendship | graduation | saxophone | 1980s | 

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Taglines:

The passion burns deep.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 June 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le feu de St. Elmo

Filming Locations:

L'Orangerie - 903 North La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$37,800,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Delphi IV Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min 108 min (Ontario)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

St. Elmo's Bar is based on The Tombs, a popular watering hole with Georgetown University students. For exterior shots, a full street set built at Universal Studios in L.A was used.

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Goofs

When Billy is playing the saxophone in the bar, when he shakes his sweaty head over the woman near the stage he pulls the mouthpiece out of his mouth before the sax music stops.

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Quotes

Alec: You're being arrested for drunk driving.
Billy: Drunk definitely, I don't know if you could call it driving.

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Connections

Referenced in The Boy Who Could Fly (1986)

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Soundtracks

THIS TIME IT WAS REALLY RIGHT
Written by David Foster and Jon Anderson
Produced by David Foster
Performed by Jon Anderson

User Reviews

A very good movie about the complexities of life

When I first saw this film I was about 14. I loved it back then because there were so many cool actors in it. That is why, nothing more and nothing less. But now, as I am a young adult perhaps going through some of the same scenarios and fears and insecurities that these people are in the movie, I can appreciate it a whole lot more. Not only is it a film that has an incredible young cast in it, but it is a film that does a great job of dealing with a plethora of issues. My favourite character was Billy, the Rob Lowe character. Sometimes his intentions weren't always spelled out for us, but there are subleties about the way he plays his character that really hit home. You can tell that he misses the easier days of college. The days where all he had to do was play sports and smoke up a bit. But now he is in real life and he can't quite seem to find his niche. He is still the good looking playboy that can get laid whenever he feels like it, but as for dealing with real life issues, he is confused and scared. And he masks that insecurity by being a playboy. It's a great character study. Many of the other characters in the film have interesting stories as well. None of them have quite figured out what the meaning of life is yet and all of them are kind of living on the edge. All are attempting to get by with what they have, but what it ultimately comes down to is that none of them really knows the answers. Maybe some have become more successful than others but deep down they are all scared of life. Now I don't know about other mid 20's people, but I can sure relate to what they are feeling and going through. And this movie made me feel like I am not the only one that may not have all the answers. If this is a film that you haven't seen in a few years, watch it. Admire what it wants to say. Take it for what it is. I really enjoyed what this film was about. And it made me feel a bit better about life, after all, we're all going through St. Elmo's Fire.