St. Elmo's Fire (1985)

Director:

Joel Schumacher

Writers:

Joel Schumacher (written by) &
Carl Kurlander (written by)

Release Date:

28 June 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

The passion burns deep.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

College | Virgin | Extramarital Affair | Coming Of Age | Infidelity

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

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

Runtime:

110 min | Canada:108 min (Ontario)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:R (Ontario) | Australia:M | Iceland:L | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Norway:16 | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #27681) | West Germany:12 | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Georgetown, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The street that the St. Elmo bar is on is in the Universal back lot with several fill in buildings in between sets. About two to three buildings to the left is the Hill Valley Clock Tower from Back to the Future (1985).

Goofs:

Factual errors: 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: 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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders (#11.3)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

STRESSED OUT (CLOSE TO THE EDGE)

The king and the queen went back to the green, but you can never go back there again

I have to admit I've a soft spot for this John Hughes-type stuff. I was surprised to find he wasn't behind it, but is is the sort of thing he was making at the time, and none the worse for that.

With a little perspective (The Atlantic Ocean) it all seems a little self-absorbed but the themes are familiar to anyone going through the educational mill of a Western-style democracy and coming out the other side realising you're still not actually qualified to do anything.

Finding your niche in life is tough, even if you've just graduated from Georgetown University, which I suspect in real life is a top school, like Oxford or Cambridge are here in the UK.

The slushy plot is rescued by sharp dialogue which, while a little too witty and knowing, is entertaining all the same.

The film's stars feature in several of my top ten 80s films. In fact, I'm looking forward to seeing Rob Lowe in A Few Good Men in London in a couple of weeks. How sad is that?!

If this pops up on a TV station near you, give it a go. I loved it when it came out, and while the fanaticism has faded, I still have a place for it in my heart. It strikes a chord with my life at the time (I graduated in the 1980s too) and watch it from time to time, even though it's now a £5.99 bargain bin DVD here!