St. Elmo's Fire (film)

For other uses, see St. Elmo's Fire (disambiguation) and St. Elmo (disambiguation).

St. Elmo's Fire
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Joel Schumacher
Produced by	Lauren Shuler Donner
Written by	Joel Schumacher Carl Kurlander
Starring	Emilio Estevez Rob Lowe Andrew McCarthy Demi Moore Judd Nelson Ally Sheedy Mare Winningham
Music by	David Foster
Cinematography	Stephen H. Burum
Editing by	Richard Marks
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	June 28, 1985 (1985-06-28)
Running time	110 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$14 million
Box office	$37,803,872

St. Elmo's Fire is a 1985 American coming-of-age film directed by Joel Schumacher. The film, starring Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy and Mare Winningham, is a prominent movie of the Brat Pack genre, and revolves around a group of friends that have just graduated from Georgetown University and their adjustment to their post-university lives and the responsibilities of encroaching adulthood.

Cast

• Emilio Estevez as Kirby Keager - A waiter at St. Elmo's Bar with hopes of becoming a lawyer. Lives with Kevin Dolenz. He develops an obsession with Dale Biberman.
• Rob Lowe as William "Billy" Hicks - The "frat boy" of the group. A reluctant husband and father who rarely goes home to sleep.
• Andrew McCarthy as Kevin Dolenz - A writer with a sullen streak whom Leslie says, "just needs to fall in love". His writing job only allows him to write obituaries, but he's searching for the meaning of life. His friends suspect that he is gay but he is later found to have a crush on Leslie.
• Demi Moore as Julianna "Jules" Van Patten - The wild "party girl" of the group, with an extravagant lifestyle and a cocaine habit and a spending addiction. Jules used to be Leslie's roommate and is still her best friend.
• Judd Nelson as Alec Newbury - A ruthless, ambitious yuppie and young Democrat pursuing a career in politics. He's desperate to marry Leslie yet she continues to turn him down, which he claims is the reason for infidelity. Later starts working for a Republican senator.
• Ally Sheedy as Leslie Hunter - Alec's yuppie girlfriend who wants to pursue a career as an architect before marrying and having children. She lives with Alec but is starting to doubt her relationship with him.
• Mare Winningham as Wendy Beamish - a girl from a wealthy family, the "innocent" one in the group, and a painfully shy virgin who devotes her life to helping others. She is in love with Billy Hicks, though she knows her father will never accept him.

The film also features Andie MacDowell as Dale Biberman, a hospital intern and the object of Kirby's attraction.

Plot

The film opens with a dream-like montage of the seven main characters, in full graduation uniform, walking along their campus, then quickly cuts to a hospital scene. Billy, while driving with Wendy, has crashed her car. Neither of them are seriously hurt, but her car is destroyed, and Billy is arrested for drunk driving. At the hospital, Kirby sees a medical student named Dale, with whom he has been infatuated since college.

The group later meets up at their favorite college hang out, St. Elmo’s Bar. Jules has paid Billy's bail. The group has some light conversation (except Kirby, who works as a waiter) until Wendy tells Leslie in the bathroom that Billy lost the job that Alec helped him get. Alec chastises Billy for losing yet another job, and dunks Billy’s head into a toilet.

Alec (at his and Leslie’s studio apartment), tells Leslie he is trying to get a better-paying job, even though it means switching political parties. He pressures Leslie to marry him, but Leslie isn't convinced that she's ready. Alec then jokingly suggests impregnating Leslie, but then Jules visits, complaining that she will probably have to pay for her stepmother’s funeral, whom she scornfully calls her “step-monster”. Leslie tells Jules about Alec's surprise proposal. Jules stays the night.

Meanwhile, at Kevin and Kirby’s apartment, Kirby tells Kevin of his love for Dale. Kevin feels that “love is an illusion”. Billy later comes over to stay, saying he can’t deal with his wife.

After a shopping trip with the girls, Jules invites Kevin over to her expensively furnished apartment. Kevin is incredulous at its extravagance. Jules asks Kevin why he has never made a pass at her, and accuses him of being gay and in love with Alec. Infuriated, Kevin storms out.

Kirby arrives early at a restaurant to ensure everything is perfect for a date he has arranged with Dale. She arrives, but is immediately called back to the hospital. Meanwhile, Jules is unable to collect her paycheck, having been overdrawn on her salary by two months.

Kevin visits Alec and Leslie for dinner. Alec confesses to Kevin that while buying lingerie for Leslie, he had sex with the lingerie saleswoman. Alec says that if Leslie would marry him, he would be faithful, while Kevin again disdains the whole idea of marriage. Leslie then tries on the red slip Alec bought, and the two end up fooling around noisily, leaving Kevin to cook dinner. Kevin, uncomfortable and annoyed, leaves them be. Kevin then wanders into a shadowy part of town and, in an encounter with a prostitute named Naomi, asks her why she has never tried to solicit him. She responds that she thought he was gay, to which he replies that he is in love with someone, but does not say who.

Jules calls Alec in the middle of the night, saying that she is about to be raped by Arabs. Alec "rescues" Jules, and feeling the need for company and attention, Jules asks Alec to stay with her at her apartment, but he says he can't because he has to work early the next morning. Alec offers to drop her off at home instead because it's late, but she insists on not wanting to be alone that night and wanting to act on her "buzz," so he leaves.

Billy visits Wendy at the welfare office where she works, having lost yet another job. He later has an awkward dinner at her house with her relatives. Wendy borrows more money from her father (to give to Billy), who pressures her to get married. While drunk, Billy climbs onto the roof, and Wendy follows him. They discuss after-college life and also suicide, and Wendy reveals she is a virgin. They later kiss on the couch, but he then tries to put his hand up Wendy's skirt, upsetting her and leading her to tell him they should not see each other anymore. As Billy departs her parents' house, he leaves the money Wendy gave him on the staircase.

During Halloween at St. Elmo’s Bar, Jules reveals to Leslie that she is having an affair with her (married) boss. Kevin gives Alec a key to his apartment because the lingerie salesgirl Alec had previously had sex with is bombarding him with phone calls. Meanwhile, Billy is playing saxophone wildly for the crowd. He sees his wife with another man in the crowd and attacks him. Billy is fired and thrown out of the bar. Outside, he and his wife fight, then kiss.

After the Halloween party, Kevin sees the prostitute again. She tries to pick him up but he says he does not pay for sex.

The girls have lunch at the soup kitchen where Wendy is working. Wendy and Leslie confront Jules over the affair she is having with her boss. She tells them not to worry and quickly leaves. Wendy and Leslie then talk about their relationships. Meanwhile, Billy, who is house-sitting for Mr. Kim, a wealthy Korean businessman, is caught by his boss in his hot-tub with a woman and fired.

In drenching rain, Kirby follows Dale to a house party, and reveals his feelings for her. She tries to rebuff him, but fails. Kirby wrongly believes he simply has to earn more money to earn her affection.

Billy returns to his old frat house at the college, plays ball and asks for a job there, only to find that he has some difficulty being taken seriously. He visits his wife and baby. She says she wants an annulment so she can marry her previous boyfriend. Billy refuses this, promising he will change.

Kirby takes a job working for Mr. Kim. He tries to impress Dale with his wealthy connections, and invites her to a party he is secretly holding at Mr. Kim’s house. At the party, Wendy attends with a bookish-looking man named Howie, and Jules gets drunk. The other girls agree she is out of control. Billy upsets Wendy when he asks if she’s still a virgin.

Alec then “announces” to the gathering that he and Leslie are engaged, upsetting her as she had not consented. She confronts him about his infidelity, and Alec at first plays dumb. Then he realizes Leslie is serious. Enraged, he attacks Kevin, wrongly thinking Kevin had told Leslie about his misbehaviors. Leslie is heartbroken, realizing she wasn't just being paranoid. Alec demands Leslie move out of their apartment immediately, which devastates Leslie.

After the party, Kirby, who had been desperately trying to find Dale during the party, confronts Dale’s roommate, demanding to know where Dale is.

Billy and Jules ride home. Jules is about to confide a secret in Billy, but all Billy wants is sex. Jules refuses, and throws him out of her car, where he sees his wife, who had witnessed the entire spectacle.

Pursuing Dale, Kirby drives to the ski lodge where she is staying. The door is answered by a man, and Kirby, realizing it is Dale’s boyfriend, angrily runs back to the car in the freezing cold. He tries to drive away but the car becomes stuck in the snow. Dale and her boyfriend finally convince him to come inside.

Leslie, having been kicked out of her apartment, goes over to Kevin’s place to stay. She discovers a box of photographs of her. While they are both drunk, Kevin confesses his love for her, and they make love several times. The next morning, Alec comes by, using the key Kevin had given him earlier, and apologizes to Kevin for hitting him, and reveals that he wants Leslie back, but doesn't think it's possible. Leslie reveals her presence, wrapped only in an afghan, enraging Alec. In shock and disbelief that his best friend has slept with his former girlfriend, he leaves.

Mr. Kim arrives home, discovering his house strewn with guests and a mess from the party, and demands to know where Kirby is. Wendy, drunk and passed out on the staircase, tells him that he took her car, but doesn't say where. As Kirby prepares to leave Dale’s cottage, Dale tells him she is flattered by his affections. In a surprising moment, he kisses her, and she does not resist. He drives off, laughing hysterically, his fist raised in triumph.

Wendy meets her father at a café. She tells him that the car that Kirby borrowed (and damaged) is fixed, but wants to return it to her father. She also tells him she does not want to marry Howie, the man her parents arranged her to date, and that she wants to move out. Her father remains calm but is unreceptive and appears disappointed.

Leslie goes over to her apartment to pick up her possessions, and is surprised to find Alec there, not at work. They squabble over the record collection, and fight about their affairs. Alec then mutters to himself how he still wants Leslie, but she doesn't hear.

Kevin, who had previously been writing only obituaries, succeeds in publishing a major op-ed about the meaning of life. At Jules' apartment, Leslie and Kevin seem a happy couple for a brief moment, until Kevin asks Leslie to move in with him but she refuses, saying that all that night of passion between them was Leslie trying to move on from Alec and Kevin releasing hidden feelings. At that point, Alec calls her, ready to apologize to Leslie and get back with her. Once Kevin realize that it's Alec calling, he spitefully shouts out loud that he and Leslie are moving in. Mishearing the conversation, Alec wrongly thinks she is moving in with Kevin and hangs up on her. Leslie, upset and tired from the whole experience, asks Kevin to leave.

In the climax of the film, Leslie asks Alec and the others for help. Leslie reveals that Jules was fired weeks ago, but has been pretending to go to work. Having been unable to make the payments, her car and furniture were repossessed. In shock, Jules has locked herself into her apartment with the windows wide open, admitting the freezing winter air. The boys come over to rescue her, climbing on to the fire escape, and try to blow torch the window bars so they can get through. Kirby goes off to find Billy, who now works at a gas station. Kevin tells Alec that he was the one who got Billy the job this time. Enraged, Alec attacks Kevin again, dangling him over the edge of the fire escape, but with Leslie’s intervention, calms down and pulls Kevin back up. Alec, still annoyed, doesn't seem to be concerned about Jules anymore until Leslie, for the first time in their relationship, aggressively tells him to back off. An exhausted Jules finally unlocks her door just as Billy bursts through it. Jules reveals that she is disgusted with her behavior towards her "step-monster" and that recently for the first time, they shared a real conversation, but then she fell into a coma and isn't expected to be revived. Billy consoles and comforts her, comparing her behavior to St. Elmo’s Fire (that her problems are merely an illusion). She finally laughs, indicating to the others that she is alright.

Wendy moves into her own place, where Billy comes to visit. He says he has finally agreed to divorce his wife, and pays back some of the money he owed Wendy. He also announces he will be moving to New York to go for his dreams and pursue a full time career playing his saxophone. He explains that he'd spent so much time trying to "be like Alec" (meaning being a member of the 9-5 type work world, because it seemed to be expected of him) but it wasn't who he was. His heart has really always been in his music and Wendy of course, who knows him so well, recognizes this as she repeats in the movie, "You're really talented, Billy." He asks her for a "going away present," which turns out to be them making love.

At the bus station, the group says goodbye to Billy as he boards his bus. Billy whispers to Alec, "don't let her go," motioning to Leslie. The opening montage of the group at graduation appears again, bringing the film full circle. Leslie announces that she needs to be alone for awhile, not dating either Alec or Kevin. Alec and Kevin seem to agree to this and make up as friends. Once they reach St. Elmo's Bar, the group decides to have brunch on Sunday, but not at St. Elmo's Bar; they instead choose Houlihan's because there's "not so many kids" there. This symbolizes that they are finally moving on from college life and ready to enter the real world as adults.

Soundtrack

The theme song "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" was written by Canadian composer/producer David Foster and performed by John Parr. This hit song was written for the Canadian athlete Rick Hansen who, at the time, was traveling around the world via his wheelchair to raise awareness for spinal cord injuries. His journey was called the "Man in Motion Tour." The song does not appear on any John Parr album.

The song "Give Her a Little Drop More," which plays during the movie when the characters enter St. Elmo's Bar & Restaurant, was written by British jazz trumpeter John Chilton.

"St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" hit #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart for two weeks in September 1985, and "Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire" (the instrumental theme to the movie by David Foster) reached #15. Another version of the "Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire" with lyrics, titled For Just a Moment was performed by Amy Holland and Donny Gerrard, and was included as the final song on the soundtrack album.

Reception

St. Elmo's Fire holds a 47% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with 14 positive reviews out of 30 reviews.

Awards and nominations

Rob Lowe won a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor for this film.

TV adaptation

As of August 14, 2009, ABC won a bidding war among networks to adapt the Joel Schumacher film into a comedy-drama, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Schumacher is already onboard as a producer, alongside That '70s Show star Topher Grace, Dan Bucatinsky and Jamie Tarses. Dan Chyutin is writing the script. Like the film, the show will follow a group of friends who have just graduated from Georgetown University and are adjusting to adulthood. There will be some small tweaks: The series will feature six friends (three guys and three girls) instead of seven and the film's setting, St. Elmo's Bar & Restaurant, will be upgraded to St. Elmo's Bar & Grill.

External links

• St. Elmo's Fire at the Internet Movie Database
• St. Elmo's Fire at AllRovi
• St. Elmo's Fire at Rotten Tomatoes
• St. Elmo's Fire at Box Office Mojo