140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW
I won’t be using the nickname for all these actors, as it’s demeaning & limiting, even to this collection of wholly unlikable characters…
Spoiler-free Movie Review of St. Elmo’s Fire:
I’d never seen St. Elmo’s Fire before, but I’m not sure I’d say I missed it…
This is the movie where everyone who just played high schoolers a few months ago now plays college graduates, right?
Actually, I am aware that this is the appropriate age for these actors to play. It was in The Breakfast Club that they were way too old…
St. Elmo’s Fire will always be lumped in with the movies of this era, the ones with many of these cast members (I won’t be using the nickname for all these actors, as I find it demeaning and limiting). And by those standards, it fails terribly.
Released just a few short months after similarly casted The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo’s Fire is woefully lacking in any of the earlier films credibility. It tries for the same approach, showcasing the trials and tribulations of young life and love, but its clumsy attempts at emotional depth and insight just emphasize how gifted John Hughes was as a writer. It’s no insult whatsoever to suggest that co-writers Joel Schumacher and Carl Kurlander can’t meet the standards set by John Hughes – few can. But this really is an unlikable group of characters. Maybe I would have identified with them more if I were at a similar age at the time of release.
Random thoughts while watching:
- Joel Schumacher directed this? I don’t remember any explosions – are you sure? Although it does have his patented total lack of subtlety. This may actually be a step down from his previous feature, D.C. Cab – y’know, the one with Mr. T…
- Oh man, I remembered that the theme song was a big hit, but I couldn’t remember how it went. I kept getting Huey Lewis’ Jacob’s Ladder in my head every time I tried to remember. Now I wish I didn’t get reminded. Oh wait, there’s 2 theme songs – a love song and another soft-rock one. What’s embarrassing is I’m fairly sure we had the soundtrack for this…
- I actually hated these characters before the opening credits were finished. And now I remember why I’ve never seen this before…
- I’m genuinely disappointed that this film has nothing to do with the nautical electrical phenomenon. Just a bunch of yuppie jerks…
- Wow, I didn’t even recognize Demi Moore for the first 20 minutes…
- I’m not prepared to watch 90 minutes of “cool” Rob Lowe…
- So many skinny ties…
- For the Halloween party at the club, Lowe, with his ripped tank top, bandana, dangly earring and sweaty hair, playing a mean sax, exhorts the crowd, “let’s rock” and initiates a clap in perfect time to the dreadful soft-rock his band is hammering out. How is this not a meme?
- Love the massive Billy Idol mural…
- Mare Winningham pairing off with Lowe is maybe the worst turn in a movie full to the brim with them.
- In what way is Emilio Estevez’s character not a stalker?
- The soundtrack to hell has a lot of saxophones…
- Seeing my beloved Ally Sheedy getting mauled by both Judd Nelson and Andrew McCarthy is unbearable…
St. Elmo’s Fire is more like an 80’s time capsule than anything I’ve seen. It’s not just the fashion or the music or anything, it has far more to do with the mindset and attitudes. It’s the ugly side of the 80’s – the “me first” entitlement, the casual coke use and meaningless sex…
The characters are horrible people, the dialogue is clunky, the story is preposterous. Avoid…
Poster:
Trailer:
https://youtu.be/r1WhIzi5MlI
Bechdel Test:
Pass
The Representation Test Score: C (4 pts)
(http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)
| Main Cast | Demi Moore Jules, Rob Lowe Billy Hicks, Andrew McCarthy Kevin Dolenz, Emilio Estevez Kirby Keger |
| Rating | R |
| Release Date | Fri 28 Jun 1985 UTC |
| Director | Joel Schumacher |
| Genres | Drama, Romance |
| Plot | A group of friends, just out of college, struggle with adulthood. |
| Poster |  |
| Runtime | 110 |
| Tagline | The passion burns deep. |
| Writers | Joel Schumacher (written by) &, Carl Kurlander (written by) |
| Year | 1985 |
