St. Elmo's Fire


Wendy: “You miss school, don't you?”
Billy: “Yeah. You know, school was pretty out of hand. In everyday life, there's just no way to be out of hand.”



release year: 1985
genre: drama
viewing setting: home DVD 6/24/17

synopsis: Seven college friends must face the various challenges of life after graduation.

impressions: Talk about a bunch of young adults with problems...whew. Some of the events are due to their own stupidity/uncertainty, while others are just normal relationship and career stuff. This was serious at times, funny at others, but everything and everyone is connected by the friendship between the seven of them.

acting: Emilio Estevez is one of the more stable of the group, until he develops a crazy crush on a girl he dated one time who's now beyond him. Rob Lowe is the party animal who keeps acting like he's still in college. Andrew McCarthy is the cynical writer with a secret. Demi Moore is the irresponsible party girl who has a secret of her own. Judd Nelson is another stable one who's pursuing a career in politics. Ally Sheedy is his girlfriend who isn't in a hurry to get married. Mare Winningham is the shy, quiet one.

final word: Probably a fairly realistic look at life after college, at least in Georgetown in the 1980s.

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