St. Elmo's Fire(1985) | Movie Review 

The writers were 100% banking on the fact that audiences loved these actors and thought content was edgy and cool, like they were making a statement as breakfast club did. I watched this a month ago for the 1st time and it is cringe. Good review!

At least the song is great.

Just watched this for the first time last night. Very weird movie. All the guys are completely creepy.

the characters are young adults not really knowing what they're doing and kinda learning who they are or who they think they want to be. I think that's why it's a little messy and giving bad advice they're just young and trying to figure out life in a different time. Decent flick .

Yea watching this terribly mediocre movie was not memorable. Unlike The Breakfast Club I really didn't care for any of the characters in the movie. I think the superb cast kept it from being a total trash movie. I do love the soundtrack of the film though.

I never got Billy's advice either. Really confusing. I think you got the timeline screwed up regarding the movie's development. It was shot in the fall of 1984, before The Breakfast Club had even been released, so this idea that it was rushed into production after TBC's release is a bit off. The movie came out in June of 1985, four months after TBC came out. They may have moved the release date up to capitalize on TBC's success, though.

My mother enjoys it. One is she a fan of Rob Lowe and Emilio Estevez.

Ya the whole kirby thing had me thinkin he needs help lol

They could have created a bit of an actual connection between Kirby and Dale, which leads to a genuine spontaneous kiss between them despite her ambivalence. But no, they created a completely unbelievable scene where crazed Kirby "steals" a kiss that we're supposed to believe made her think twice.

Great actors.. great soundtrack song, unfortunately bad script/writing... too bad it could of been a gem

3:50 I certainly wouldn't characterize the faults in this movie as boiling down to "what Shumacher had to work with", considering that he wrote a considerable portion of the screenplay himself. Any problems with regards to the script are primarily of his own making. In fact, one of the reasons he had such difficulty in pitching his and Kurtlander's screenplay is that he was repeatedly turned down, with one investor and producer after another renouncing the characters for how deplorable, dysfunctional, and unlikeable they all were. Shumacher himself even admits that one studio rejected his script on the grounds that the characters were "‘the most loathsome humans [the producer] had ever read on the page.’" And it's hard to argue with that characterization. You have a sleazy musician who dicks around and takes no responsibility for his marriage or his family, an abusive political contributor who repeatedly cheats on his girlfriend and then tries to murder the guy whom she had retaliatory sex with, and the creepy stalker who feels entitled to the affections of a woman whom he barely knows and threatens people in order to determine her whereabouts. Clearly, these characters all put the "brat" in "Brat Pack".

That movie sucked! I had no interest in the characters, they were a bunch of self absorbed gen x’ers that no rational person would ever have anything to do with. You really don’t like these people. I’d rather eat a handful of spoons than see that movie again.

I saw it on HBO as a kid, it's an ok movie but Breakfast club is better

OMG your review broke my heart a little bit. Fair enough that a current day (through a more sophisticated lens?) finds these faults. However, as I was in my 20s when this movie was released (being a more ‘innocent’ time) I loved it & still do. A light hearted view of the story line makes it enjoyable. Things were not so PC back then. Of course some if the themes can be taken seriously when analysed but it’s not a doco, just entertainment.♥️

Each character is a manifestation of a particular trait or quality. Personally, I can’t see why people want more from each character or somehow the fact that it has managed to escape so many of you that FRIENDS is a St Elmos knock-off.

Had friend. Lived. There. We stayed. At. Her. Her house we got in to club. In 1985. And. Some. Places. Go shoping. Go In st eloms. Fire bar. Have. Drinks.

I love Mare Winningham, she gave an incredible performance in a movie called God Bless the Child

That movie sounds pretentious and horrible

Dude, zooms and pans would not have saved this movie. The storylines were REDICULOUS. Some went absolutely nowhere. The subplots were idiotic and made no sense. There is one part of the movie where Billy is walking through the quad and there is a pile of leaves on fire, about to erupt in a massive blaze. Just stupid shit like that. How did the doctor know what restaurant Andi Macdowell was at to call her? Why did this Mr. Kim guy hire the friend of the guy who he just fired? And where is cinema sins sin counter to tally up every time "it was out of hand" is uttered. What is up with Demi Moore's stepmother? AND WHY DOES BILLY NEVER HAVE A CASE FOR HIS SAX? The suicide by sweater weather lmao

I would give it a 7/10, I think the biggest flaw is there were too many storylines and most of them don't get a real ending. I think most people were so used to having a character to root for in these teen or young adult movies at the time. You've Andi and Duckie in Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club teens, Cameron in Ferris Bueller Day's Off, Daniel in the Karate Kid and so on. I would recommend this movie to people, but I would just warn them that every character in this movie is an a$$hole and you will probably enjoy it if you can deal with that.

This movie did not age well, in fact I really don't like it. The group of characters had no business knowing each other, let alone being bff's.

Thanks for the review! I graduated in 1985 which was the year the movie was released and I remember seeing St Elmo's at that time. The 1980's were a different "time" if you will, with Kirby obsessed with Andie would not have been taken as a psyco obsessed kid, just an idiot, lol. The 80's were a decade of greed so most of the characters kind of reflect that vibe. I watched the movie again last night and realized that it does not stand up well with time, a little cringy at times but then I reflect on how the movie was received at the time of released and realize it was just how much it was another reflection of the 80's. P.S. The advice Billy gave Jules at the end was just beyond stupid, but I guess they had to work in the "St Elmos Fire" into the movie somehow right!?!?

Great movie

its pretty amazing that many movies from the 80s are all good , dramas and comedys and horror.

Hey Mike soon are you re-reviewing the American Ninja movies?

I'm now think of that classic Bowling For Soup song 1985 haha

I liked Demi Moore when she co-starred in ‘The Master’, an 80’s Ninja TV show starring Lee van Cleef and Tim van Patten.

I think it is a 1/10.

I always thought this was a brat pack movie lol thought it was a john hughs movie for some damn reason lol

Kirbys character didnt have much too do,it seemed kinda childish,his behavior and dales character was beautiful but boring,kinda a dumb lame storyline between those 2 characters. The other characters had a liitle more too do with their characters.

I watched it yesterday, thought it was terrible, but once I figured it was a dark comedy satire I instantly thought it's an underrated 80's classic. It's not supposed to be anything like the Breakfast club. It's saying "normal" people are actually fucked up.

I dig this movie

Have you seen Phone Booth or Bad Company? Joel Schumacher directed both of them. Phone Booth I thought was OK. Bad Company I haven't seen and I'm not so sure I will.

This film had a shallow story- quite bare-bone- from my point of view.

Lisa Simpson loves that song. 😂

i like Jenny Wright

Excellent review

Good movie.

Not sure why people are beating this film down, it's more relatable to your messy 20s than you realise.

This movie was an absolute dumpster fire. Even the soundtrack that people praise is garbage as well.