St. Elmo's Fire (R, 1985)

ST. ELMO'S FIRE follows the trials and tribulations of seven recent Georgetown grads struggling to build careers, maintain relationships, and transition into full-fledged adults. Each character has his/her issues.Social worker Wendy (Mare Winningham) gets constant pressure from her rich father to marry and join the family business. She has a crush for Billy (Rob Lowe), who has troubles of his own, in the form of a wife, a child, and a string of affairs. Billy accepts help from shrewd Alec (Judd Nelson), a Capitol Hill high roller, who sells-out to advance his career. Alec has trouble staying faithful to his girlfriend, down-to-earth Leslie (Ally Sheedy). Leslie offers comfort to out-of-control Jules (Demi Moore) and offers guidance to Kevin (Andrew McCarthy), who secretly harbors a crush on her. Kirby (Emilio Estevez), a waiter at the gang's hangout, St. Elmo's Fire, actively pursues a young lovely doctor (Andie MacDowell) who is way out of his league. Despite their difficulties and rivalries, they prove to be good friends, a job that requires skill and patience, which cannot be learned in school.

Written and directed by Joel Schumacher, St. Elmo's Fire is a mediocre attempt at recreating the success of earlier "Brat Pack" films such as The Breakfast Club, Class, and Pretty in Pink. Riding on the coattails of The Big Chill, the film is unsuccessful in eliciting audience identification with its stock characters. From untamable bad boy Billy to poor little rich girl Jules, the film's narrow types provide nothing new to this already beaten-to-death genre.

Studio: Columbia Tristar
Director: Joel Schumacher
Cast: Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe
Genre: Drama
Run time: 110 minutes
Theatrical release: June 28, 1985
DVD release: July 3, 2000
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: language and sexual content