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St. Elmo's Fire

  • 19851985
  • RR
  • 1h 50m
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
42K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,082
53
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, and Mare Winningham in St. Elmo's Fire (1985)
Trailer for St. Elmo's Fire
Play trailer1:31
3 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Drama
  • Romance
A group of friends, just out of college, struggle with adulthood.A group of friends, just out of college, struggle with adulthood.A group of friends, just out of college, struggle with adulthood.
IMDb RATING
6.3/10
42K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,082
53
  • Director
    • Joel Schumacher
  • Writers
    • Joel Schumacher
    • Carl Kurlander
  • Stars
    • Demi Moore
    • Rob Lowe
    • Andrew McCarthy
Top credits
  • Director
    • Joel Schumacher
  • Writers
    • Joel Schumacher
    • Carl Kurlander
  • Stars
    • Demi Moore
    • Rob Lowe
    • Andrew McCarthy
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 196User reviews
    • 48Critic reviews
    • 35Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 1 nomination

    Videos3

    Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
    Trailer 3:02
    Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
    Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
    Trailer 1:33
    Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
    St. Elmo's Fire
    Trailer 1:31
    St. Elmo's Fire

    Photos128

    Demi Moore in St. Elmo's Fire (1985)
    Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, and Mare Winningham in St. Elmo's Fire (1985)
    Rob Lowe in St. Elmo's Fire (1985)
    Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, and Mare Winningham in St. Elmo's Fire (1985)
    Demi Moore and Andrew McCarthy in St. Elmo's Fire (1985)
    Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, and Mare Winningham in St. Elmo's Fire (1985)
    Rob Lowe and Jenny Wright in St. Elmo's Fire (1985)
    Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, and Mare Winningham in St. Elmo's Fire (1985)
    Demi Moore and Emilio Estevez at an event for St. Elmo's Fire (1985)
    St. Elmo's Fire (1985)
    Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, and Mare Winningham in St. Elmo's Fire (1985)
    Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, and Mare Winningham in St. Elmo's Fire (1985)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Demi Moore
    Demi Moore
    • Julesas Jules
    Rob Lowe
    Rob Lowe
    • Billy Hicksas Billy Hicks
    Andrew McCarthy
    Andrew McCarthy
    • Kevin Dolenzas Kevin Dolenz
    Emilio Estevez
    Emilio Estevez
    • Kirby Kegeras Kirby Keger
    Judd Nelson
    Judd Nelson
    • Alec Newbaryas Alec Newbary
    Ally Sheedy
    Ally Sheedy
    • Leslie Hunteras Leslie Hunter
    Mare Winningham
    Mare Winningham
    • Wendy Beamishas Wendy Beamish
    Martin Balsam
    Martin Balsam
    • Mr. Beamishas Mr. Beamish
    Andie MacDowell
    Andie MacDowell
    • Dale Bibermanas Dale Biberman
    Joyce Van Patten
    Joyce Van Patten
    • Mrs. Beamishas Mrs. Beamish
    Jenny Wright
    Jenny Wright
    • Feliciaas Felicia
    Blake Clark
    Blake Clark
    • Wallyas Wally
    Jon Cutler
    • Howie Krantzas Howie Krantz
    Matthew Laurance
    Matthew Laurance
    • Ron Dellasandroas Ron Dellasandro
    Gina Hecht
    Gina Hecht
    • Judithas Judith
    Anna Maria Horsford
    Anna Maria Horsford
    • Naomias Naomi
    Patrick Winningham
    • 'The New Breed' Bandas 'The New Breed' Band
    Andy Scott
    • 'The New Breed' Bandas 'The New Breed' Band
    • Director
      • Joel Schumacher
    • Writers
      • Joel Schumacher
      • Carl Kurlander
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Much like her character, Demi Moore (Jules) had a drug problem when she was cast in the film. One day, director Joel Schumacher actually demanded that she leave the set because she was really high. Moore had to go through rehab and promise to stay clean in order to play a character with a drug problem. Moore revealed in an auto-biography later that she had a cocaine problem and was using an eighth of an ounce of the drug every two days. She went to treatment for 15 days and then had a counselor with her while shooting the film.
    • Goofs
      The film takes place at and around Georgetown University. However, various characters in the film are seen wearing red/white varsity letter jackets, the colors of the University of Maryland, where the campus scenes were filmed. Georgetown's colors are blue, gray, and white.
    • Quotes

      Billy: Jules, y'know, honey... this isn't real. You know what it is? It's St. Elmo's Fire. Electric flashes of light that appear in dark skies out of nowhere. Sailors would guide entire journeys by it, but the joke was on them... there was no fire. There wasn't even a St. Elmo. They made it up. They made it up because they thought they needed it to keep them going when times got tough, just like you're making up all of this. We're all going through this. It's our time at the edge.

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: D.A.R.Y.L./Cocoon/Return to Oz (1985)
    • Soundtracks
      Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire
      Written by David Foster

      Produced by David Foster and Humberto Gatica

      Performed by David Foster

    User reviews196

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    The only illusion that's worth it…St. Elmo's Fire
    I think Joel Schumacher gets a bad rap. Sure Batman & Robin is possibly the worst movie ever made, and it did kill a multi-million dollar franchise, but is that truly all we think about on the mention of his name? I myself will admit to keeping a stigma of hack whenever Schumacher is talked about, however, along with some decent films of late, his track record in the 80's was full of pure, nostalgic gems. I finally got the opportunity to check out one of my mother's favorite films, St. Elmo's Fire. Made at the height of Brat Pack fame, this film really gets the angst of college graduation and the life of responsibility and work that waits in the future right. While not as quotable or memorable as say The Breakfast Club, Schumacher still is able to take a moment in the youth of society and make something meaningful out of it. Maybe I can relate to it having just graduated from college two years ago, but I think that it would be relevant later on as well. Even if not, it is an accomplishment to last over twenty years and still be relatable to someone in that same position in the present day.

    So the film is chock full of stereotypes and clichés, does that make it not true? We have our striver for fame and notoriety at the expense of his ideals, the girlfriend who wants to make a career before settling down as a stay at home mother, the troubled artist who can't leave school behind for a real life, the self-obsessed flirt who would rather self-destruct than ruin the façade she has worked so hard to build, the love-struck indecisive one stalking a past love and changing himself to try and win her over, and the confused souls not quite sure what they want to do with their new independence. We have the drug use, the sleeping around, the comradery, and the heartbreak. Through it all, though, you can really buy into it and see moments in your own life that mirror the events on screen almost perfectly. I think a lot of this has to do with the times and the ability to use actors that are actually the age of the characters they are playing. This is a film about 23 year olds trying to find themselves, and the authenticity of having people that age, going through those things in their real lives, helps the performances to be truthful. Nowadays this would have been changed to a post- high school story with the 18 year olds played by actors 25 or older. It's the vulnerability and the childlike appearance that makes you buy into the story and want to follow it to the end to see if the friendships can remain intact.

    The star-filled cast does a great job throughout, and a film like this makes you wonder where these guys have gone. An actress like Ally Sheedy, who had the talent and the looks, pretty much fell off the map once the 80's came to a close. It is her and Andrew McCarthy that really carry the film. He is another that disappeared after Weekend at Bernie's. It is always nice to see this troupe of acting talent and what they were capable of in their prime. Emilio Estevez, Demi Moore, and Judd Nelson are all pitch-perfect in their roles along with Mare Winningham playing the friend that is so totally different from everyone else in the group, yet believable because we all have a friend like that. The only weak spot, in my opinion, is Rob Lowe, who at many times seems a bit out of his element as the drunk, party guy cracking jokes and getting into trouble. I don't discount his performances totally, though, because when he has moments of clarity, like when he talks Moore down after her total collapse, he is really excellent.

    Everyone goes through a moment of time in his/her life like the characters on screen in St. Elmo's Fire. Schumacher should be given credit for giving us a poignant study into the lives of those souls on the cusp of a new chapter in life and the decisions that need to be made to continue forward without regrets for what is left behind. The dialogue is realistic and it all ends in a conclusion that makes sense in the scheme of the character's evolutions. Your friends will always be there for you, through thick and thin, however, as you grow older, the roles each play in your life changes. Getting older doesn't mean severing ties to the past, but instead a restructuring of it to keep you strong and moving towards the future.
    helpful•54
    12
    • jaredmobarak
    • Apr 8, 2007

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 28, 1985 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Sparks
    • Filming locations
      • University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
    • Production companies
      • Columbia Pictures
      • Delphi IV Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $10,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $37,803,872
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $6,128,157
      • Jun 30, 1985
    • Gross worldwide
      • $37,803,872
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 50 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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