St. Elmo's Fire

"The passion burns deep."

1985 1h 48m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 619

DramaRomanceComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Reluctant to let go of college life, a close-knit team of seven friends--irresponsible saxophone player Billy, young Republican Alec, his girlfriend Leslie, struggling journalist Kevin, drama queen Jules, lovesick waiter Kirby, and Wendy, a social worker with a heart of gold--realise the party is over. And as the burdens of maturity close in on the young dreamers, the complexities of adulthood and the daily struggle of growing up put their sacred friendship to the test. But everyone knows life is not a bed of roses. It won't be easy, but when all is said and done, what will it take for St. Elmo's clique to find its place in the real world?

“The passion burns deep.”

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Cast

Andrew McCarthy
Kevin Dolenz
Emilio Estevez
Kirby Keger
Rob Lowe
Billy Hicks
Demi Moore
Jules
Judd Nelson
Alec Newbary
Ally Sheedy
Leslie Hunter
Mare Winningham
Wendy Beamish
Martin Balsam
Mr. Beamish

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Joel Schumacher
Writers: Joel Schumacher, Carl Kurlander
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.8× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

41 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "St. Elmo's Fire Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Joel Schumacher, shot by Stephen H. Burum. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by David Foster. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Richard Marks shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Andrew McCarthy and Emilio Estevez and Rob Lowe carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The passion burns deep.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Joel Schumacher directs. Stephen H. Burum behind the camera. David Foster scores. Richard Marks cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 3.8× over at the box office.
241 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "St. Elmo's Fire Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Joel Schumacher, shot by Stephen H. Burum. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by David Foster. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Richard Marks shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Andrew McCarthy and Emilio Estevez and Rob Lowe carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "The passion burns deep.".
9IMDB entry: tt0090060 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Stephen H. Burum
Original score: David Foster
Editing: Richard Marks
Makeup / hair: Rick Sharp
Sound: Gregg Landaker
Runtime: 108 min · 1h 48m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $10,000,000
Box office: $37,803,872
Return: 378% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: St. Elmo's Fire (1985)

Awards

Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor - Razzie Award

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

St. Elmo's Fire Collection

Includes the original 1985 film & the planned sequel

St. Elmo's Fire
1985 · this one

Also by

Joel Schumacher

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Community reviews

What people are saying

phx6112021-10-26
As with most Joel Schumacher films, this one is beautifully shot. The locations of the film stand out and never overshadow the characters as they go on about their lives. St. Elmo's fire is not comedy-driven and there isn't much of a plot. This is more of a slice of life piece about a group of young people embarking on their careers and lives. The soundtrack works well, the music was good for the time. Andie MacDowell and Andrew McCarthy are great in their respective roles even if Andie's character doesn't speak much. Emilio Estevez and Judd Nelson make honest attempts with the material they are given, and they aren't horrible, but both actors have done much better in lesser roles or maybe they needed more of a role. The other members of the cast just appear to be plodding through the script but that may be what the script called for; if this is the case they did well.

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