Director: Joel Schumacher
Writer: Joel Schumacher, Carl Kurlander (Screenplay)
Starring: Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Jud Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Mare Winningham
Plot: A group of friends, just out of college, struggle with adulthood.
Tagline – The passion burns deep.
Runtime: 1 Hour 50 Minutes
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Wonderful Look at Growing Up
Story: St. Elmo’s Fire starts as we meet the seven college friends Kirby (Estevez), Billy (Lowe), Kevin (McCarthy), Jules (Moore), Alec (Nelson), Leslie (Sheedy) and Wendy (Winningham) who are freshly done with college now working normal jobs and needing to learn life lessons.
The problems they face including getting used to a daily job, added responsibility, personal addictions, find their place in life and pressure placed on them from parent.
Thoughts on St. Elmo’s Fire
Characters – Kirby is the qualified lawyer still working in the local bar and hangout of the group of friends, he wants to impress a girl that he once took on a date. Billy is the musician that still wishes he was back at college with the party every night, struggle to find a job and stay sober. Kevin is secretly gay and in love with Alec, Jules sees it in him and he now faces a difficult moment in life about whether to come out or not, this character is way before its time and addresses the taboo subject in the mid-80s very well, even if it shouldn’t have been. Jules is the party animal that all the guys want a night with, she is building debt even with her job where she is dating her boss, planning to use the relationship to make the most of a future. Alec is the confident one of the group planning to marry Leslie even though he is womaniser and is there to try and help Billy find a job. Leslie is the one waiting before deciding whether to agree to marry Alec, she wants to go further with her career first. Wendy is from a successful family and is being forced into marrying well off to continue the family line, nervous through most encounters.
Performances – The performances from this cast are wonderful, we have a collect group of young actors that rose to fame in 80s each giving us great performances and it doesn’t feel fair to comment on just one or two of them by saying the same line over and over.
Story – The story here shows the struggles that seven friends have with life and remaining friends after the ups and downs through life, career or personal issues. We do address important issues as the time unfolds, addictions, secrets and finding yourself. There was one storyline they were taking on which was big, but they pulled this one away for a safer outcome. The story does show how hard life can be after college and how things change suddenly which is always hard to get through.
Romance – The romance in the film shows us how love can be hard with the drama of life mixing up in the middle, it shows how love can come from anywhere when you least expect it.
Settings – The film keeps the friends in the same town where they have their local bar, opportunities in life and memories which will stick with them forever.
Scene of the Movie – The rooftop.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not going through with the important story angle.
Final Thoughts – This is a wonderful film that shows how hard growing up can be when entering the real world after college, friends being tested and life catching up with you.
Overall: Essential 80s viewing.
Rating
