Movie

St. Elmo's Fire

1985 · 108 min

A bittersweet, talky hangout that lingers on the ache of leaving youth behind and the messy compromises of becoming an adult.

Directed by: Joel Schumacher
Genres: Drama, Romance, Comedy
Starring: Andrew McCarthy, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe

Tagline: The passion burns deep.
Overview: 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?

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Directed by: Joel Schumacher
Genres: Drama, Romance, Comedy
Starring: Andrew McCarthy, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe

In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: melancholicstrength 2 of 3
romanticstrength 2 of 3
earneststrength 2 of 3
warmstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: friendship
coming-of-age
identity
love
betrayal
Places: big city
workplace
home
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: ensemble
Content intensity: Gore none
Language mild
Violence mild
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	2
Horror	1
Humour	4
Realism	8
Romance	6
Tension	4
Darkness	5
Complexity	5
Emotional weight	7

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Where to watch in the UK

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Details

Genres: drama, romance, comedy
Directed by: Joel Schumacher
Written by: Joel Schumacher, Carl Kurlander
Starring: Andrew McCarthy, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Mare Winningham, Martin Balsam
Music: David Foster
Cinematography: Stephen H. Burum
Runtime: 108 min
Country: United States of America
Languages: English

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St. Elmo's Fire

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