Kevin Dolenz

Kevin Dolenz (played by brat pack actor Andrew McCarthy) is one of seven main characters in the 1985 ult classic St. Elmo's Fire. He is the artist/writer of the group and possibly can be seen as the most emotionally immature.

Kevin Dolenz
File:DOlenx.JPG Kevin Dolenz, as played by Andrew McCarthy.

At the beginning of the film, Kevin is living in a cluttered 2-room apartment shared with his former college roommate Kirby Keger. He writes obituaries for the local newspaper, but expresses early on that he desires to write an op-ed on "The Meaning of Life." He is not in a relationship, and he expresses openly that he thinks love is just an "illusion," an opinion that irritates his head-over-heels roommate Kirby. However, later, Kevin admits to a prostitute that he is, in fact, in love with someone, but they aren't aware of it. A running joke for the first half of the film is several characters thinking that Kevin is in the closet and in love with best friend Alec Newbury. Kevin expressively denies this.

Alec soon lets Kevin in on a secret: that he cheated on girlfriend Leslie Hunter with a lingerie salesgirl. Kevin keeps quiet about it, but later, when Leslie finds out on her own, Alec immediatley hits Kevin and blames him. Leslie, having been kicked out of her apartment, goes to stay with him, where he reveals that Leslie is the one he has been secdretly in love with. After getting drunk, the two consummate their feelings. However, Alec comes over the next day, and upon discovering that his best friend and ex-girlfriend have made love behind his back, he is angered and leaves.

After Leslie moves out, Kevin, who is ecstatic with the feeling of being in love again, offered to get an apartment with Leslie. But Leslie refuses, saying that what they felt in his apartment wasn't love, but an emotional surge of confusion. Kevin, confused and heartbroken by this, is asked to leave Leslie alone.

Later on, while trying to calm down friend Jules Jacoby (played by Demi Moore)during a crisis, Kevin tells Alec that he got a job for friend Billy Hixx (played by Rob Lowe), angering Alec further because he has failed to do the same. ALec then attacks Kevin and enarly kills him. But with Leslie's intervention, Kevin is spared. By the end of the film, Kevin and Alec have made up, and Leslie decides to go with neither of them, keeping a balance between the triangle.