Le Feu de Saint-Elmo

A few comments here have slammed this movie for being shallow, despite decent performers. Maybe this is not 100% similar to real life. But it does have some parallels, and except for the Judd Neldon character (rather annoying) it is realistic and comedic in some aspects.

Demi Moore as Jules is simply lost in denial borrowing money to keep up an image of success. They are 26 years old and have no clue what is in store. Andrew McCarthy likable and sympathetic. Ally Sheedy, just okay. Rob Lowe is very good as irresponsible Billy, involved with Mare Winningham, the resident unattractive 'old standby' girlfriend.

There are some scenes reminiscent of a frat party. A few scenes with Emilio Estevez, pursuing a pipe-dream romance with Andie McDowell. Basically it addresses recent graduates floundering, attempting different careers and lifestyles, affairs and obsessions. It catches that time period most of us had, when we thought we were so significant in the world, not yet jaded, still trying to find meaning and hope. The Winningham character particularly conveys the aspect of the screenplay. When her father (Martin Balsam) tells her to just get married settle down and have a greeting card franchise (like the rest of her family) No I am committed to my real job, she says as she works as a social worker, still trying to have an affect.

Similar to the later Generation X issues, and the now sense of alienation, everyone goes through similar growing pains, whether 80's materialism, 90's nihilism ('Reality Bites') or today's general alienation and violence. The issues are the same, the culture just manifests them a bit differently. 8/10

I think Joel Schumacher gets a bad rap. Sure Batman & Robin is possibly the worst movie ever made, and it did kill a multi-million dollar franchise, but is that truly all we think about on the mention of his name? I myself will admit to keeping a stigma of hack whenever Schumacher is talked about, however, along with some decent films of late, his track record in the 80's was full of pure, nostalgic gems. I finally got the opportunity to check out one of my mother's favorite films, St. Elmo's Fire. Made at the height of Brat Pack fame, this film really gets the angst of college graduation and the life of responsibility and work that waits in the future right. While not as quotable or memorable as say The Breakfast Club, Schumacher still is able to take a moment in the youth of society and make something meaningful out of it. Maybe I can relate to it having just graduated from college two years ago, but I think that it would be relevant later on as well. Even if not, it is an accomplishment to last over twenty years and still be relatable to someone in that same position in the present day.

So the film is chock full of stereotypes and clichés, does that make it not true? We have our striver for fame and notoriety at the expense of his ideals, the girlfriend who wants to make a career before settling down as a stay at home mother, the troubled artist who can't leave school behind for a real life, the self-obsessed flirt who would rather self-destruct than ruin the façade she has worked so hard to build, the love-struck indecisive one stalking a past love and changing himself to try and win her over, and the confused souls not quite sure what they want to do with their new independence. We have the drug use, the sleeping around, the comradery, and the heartbreak. Through it all, though, you can really buy into it and see moments in your own life that mirror the events on screen almost perfectly. I think a lot of this has to do with the times and the ability to use actors that are actually the age of the characters they are playing. This is a film about 23 year olds trying to find themselves, and the authenticity of having people that age, going through those things in their real lives, helps the performances to be truthful. Nowadays this would have been changed to a post- high school story with the 18 year olds played by actors 25 or older. It's the vulnerability and the childlike appearance that makes you buy into the story and want to follow it to the end to see if the friendships can remain intact.

The star-filled cast does a great job throughout, and a film like this makes you wonder where these guys have gone. An actress like Ally Sheedy, who had the talent and the looks, pretty much fell off the map once the 80's came to a close. It is her and Andrew McCarthy that really carry the film. He is another that disappeared after Weekend at Bernie's. It is always nice to see this troupe of acting talent and what they were capable of in their prime. Emilio Estevez, Demi Moore, and Judd Nelson are all pitch-perfect in their roles along with Mare Winningham playing the friend that is so totally different from everyone else in the group, yet believable because we all have a friend like that. The only weak spot, in my opinion, is Rob Lowe, who at many times seems a bit out of his element as the drunk, party guy cracking jokes and getting into trouble. I don't discount his performances totally, though, because when he has moments of clarity, like when he talks Moore down after her total collapse, he is really excellent.

Everyone goes through a moment of time in his/her life like the characters on screen in St. Elmo's Fire. Schumacher should be given credit for giving us a poignant study into the lives of those souls on the cusp of a new chapter in life and the decisions that need to be made to continue forward without regrets for what is left behind. The dialogue is realistic and it all ends in a conclusion that makes sense in the scheme of the character's evolutions. Your friends will always be there for you, through thick and thin, however, as you grow older, the roles each play in your life changes. Getting older doesn't mean severing ties to the past, but instead a restructuring of it to keep you strong and moving towards the future.

When I first saw this film I was about 14. I loved it back then because there were so many cool actors in it. That is why, nothing more and nothing less. But now, as I am a young adult perhaps going through some of the same scenarios and fears and insecurities that these people are in the movie, I can appreciate it a whole lot more. Not only is it a film that has an incredible young cast in it, but it is a film that does a great job of dealing with a plethora of issues. My favourite character was Billy, the Rob Lowe character. Sometimes his intentions weren't always spelled out for us, but there are subleties about the way he plays his character that really hit home. You can tell that he misses the easier days of college. The days where all he had to do was play sports and smoke up a bit. But now he is in real life and he can't quite seem to find his niche. He is still the good looking playboy that can get laid whenever he feels like it, but as for dealing with real life issues, he is confused and scared. And he masks that insecurity by being a playboy. It's a great character study. Many of the other characters in the film have interesting stories as well. None of them have quite figured out what the meaning of life is yet and all of them are kind of living on the edge. All are attempting to get by with what they have, but what it ultimately comes down to is that none of them really knows the answers. Maybe some have become more successful than others but deep down they are all scared of life. Now I don't know about other mid 20's people, but I can sure relate to what they are feeling and going through. And this movie made me feel like I am not the only one that may not have all the answers. If this is a film that you haven't seen in a few years, watch it. Admire what it wants to say. Take it for what it is. I really enjoyed what this film was about. And it made me feel a bit better about life, after all, we're all going through St. Elmo's Fire.

This movie was the cliché post college life of the 1980's, the life every one read about, saw on television or what was told it should be. It fit right in to the very interesting 80's format. Although, this movie is also strongly "Brat Pack" driven and if you don't know or can't relate to these actors the movie doesn't stand a chance. It's not bad, just chummy, overly dramatic loathsome characters carried by well liked actor credentials of the time. Typical coming of age flick for over privileged college kids with some interesting character twists throughout. A very early glimpse of a young Demi Moore is of pertinent interest, Judd Nelson delivers, Emilio does his Emilio thing and of course, there's Rob Lowe. A quintessential 80's film. A rainy day check it out flick.

Seven friends -- fresh out of college and in their mid-20's -- find themselves struggling with real-life issues such as breaking away from an over-bearing family, getting married, raising children, finding a career, finding love and creating an identity, all while trying to maintain a tight-knit friendship with one another as they booze it up at "St. Elmo's," a bar that perhaps served as the grandfather to the coffee shop in "Friends" or even the pub in "How I Met Your Mother." They laugh, they fight, they learn, and by the end of the flick, things have changed, but their "fire" has remained.

You might recognize three stars of "The Breakfast Club" -- Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy and Emilio Estevez -- who have magically turned into college grads, and alongside Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Rob Lowe and Mare Winningham, round out the solid cast of "St. Elmo's Fire." A good decade before bringing a perfectly good "Batman" franchise to its knees, writer/director Joel Schumacher did what few films could do with the "Brat Pack" in tow. That is, he created a film that dared to be over-dramatic and dared to touch upon the ugliness of growing up long after the security of school and family has faded. While some characters and their stories are questionable (Emilio Estevez, I'm looking at you), the little stories that make up their day-to-day life are, for the most part, stuff that everyone goes through, and none of the actors seem ashamed to look ridiculous in portraying the selfish, the immature and the inexperienced. For the most part, the characters feel real, and that's why the film works as well as it does.

Perhaps it's a little too over-dramatic and self-indulgent for its own good, but maybe that's the point. All seven characters are colorful, albeit, horribly flawed human beings, and it shows in the most awkward and endearing moments of the film. You may not understand their decisions or why they choose to bring so much drama down on themselves, but you'll at least relate to it in one way or another. How you interpret and appreciate the film rests both in your position in life and whether or not you can recognize the biggest flaws in yourself. It's a film that will speak volumes to anyone fresh out of college, in their 20's or with the hindsight to realize how silly and self-made much of the drama in their life has been.