Movies - St. Elmo's Fire

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	Movies - St. Elmo's Fire

St. Elmo's Fire, released in 1985, was one of the defining movies of the 1980s brat pack genre. Its major stars, slick editing and production and its soundtrack made it a financial (although not a critical) success.

The film 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 adulthood.

Main characters

Kirby Keger (Emilio Estevez
) - unsure about what path to follow in life, he starts the film as a waiter at "St. Elmo's" bar
Billy Hicks (Rob Lowe
) - the "frat boy" of the group, he is unable (or unwilling) to keep a job
Kevin Dolenz (Andrew McCarthy
) - a depressed writer, working as an obituary writer, but wanting to do more "serious" writing, and secretly infatuated with someone
Jules Jacoby (Demi Moore
) - the "party girl" of the group, with an extravagant and wild lifestyle
Alec Newbary (Judd Nelson
) - a ruthless, ambitious yuppie, pursuing a career in politics and desperate to marry Leslie
Leslie Hunter (Ally Sheedy
) - Alec's yuppie girlfriend who wants to pursue an unstated career before pursuing marriage and children
Wendy Beamish (Mare Winningham
) - from a wealthy family, the "innocent" of the group who devotes her life to helping others

The film also features Andie MacDowell as Dale Biberman, the object of Kirby's affections.

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 nurse named Dale, with whom he has been infatuated since college. The group later meets up at their favorite hang out, St. Elmo’s Bar. Alec chastises Billy for losing yet another one of the jobs that Alec had obtained for Billy, 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. Jules visits, and complains that she will probably have to pay for her stepmother’s funeral, whom she scornfully calls her “step-monster”.

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 denial. Infuriated, Kevin storms out.

Kirby arrives early at a restaurant to ensure everything his 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.

Kevin, in an encounter with a prostitute, 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.

High from cocaine, Jules calls Alec in the middle of the night, claiming she is about to be raped by Arabs. Alec “rescues” Jules from the hotel room where the Arabs are staying. He has trouble believing that they were about to attack her, given their normal appearance. Leslie asks Alec to stay with her, but he refuses and 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, 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 upsets her and she tells him they should not see each other anymore.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for St. Elmo's Fire (film) ]

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