St. Elmo's Fire is a 1985 American movie written and directed by Joel Schumacher. It stars Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Andie MacDowell, and Mare Winningham. The film follows a group of recent graduates from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., as they adjust to life after college and the challenges of adulthood. It is a well-known example of the Brat Pack genre. The movie was released by Columbia Pictures on June 28, 1985. Critics gave it poor reviews, but it was a box-office success, earning $37.8 million with a budget of $10 million.
Plot
Recent graduates from Georgetown University, Alec Newberry, Leslie Hunter, Kevin Dolenz, Jules Van Patten, and Kirby Keager are waiting to learn about the health of their friends, Wendy Beamish and Billy Hicks. Wendy is a kind young woman who enjoys helping others, and Billy is a former fraternity member who is now a husband and father but struggles with responsibilities after a small car accident caused by his drinking. At the hospital, Kirby sees an intern named Dale Biberman, someone he has admired since college.
The group meets at their favorite bar, St. Elmo's. Billy has lost his job, which Alec had helped him find. At their apartment, Alec asks Leslie to marry him, but she believes they are not ready. Kirby tells Kevin about his feelings for Dale when Billy arrives, asking to stay the night because he is overwhelmed by his wife, Felicia. Jules accuses Kevin of being gay and having feelings for Alec. Later, Kevin visits Alec and Leslie for dinner, and Alec admits to Kevin that he had a recent relationship with a lingerie saleswoman.
Billy and Wendy drink together, and Wendy shares that she is a virgin. They kiss, but Billy teases her about her clothing, and Wendy insists they remain just friends. At St. Elmo's during a Halloween party, Jules tells Leslie she is having an affair with her married boss, Forrester Davidson. Billy sees Felicia with another man and attacks him. Billy is removed from the bar but later reconciles with Felicia. The women confront Jules about her affair and spending habits, but she claims everything is under control.
Kirby begins working for Kim Sung Ho, a wealthy Korean businessman, and invites Dale to a party at Mr. Kim's house without permission. Wendy arrives with Howie Krantz, a boy her parents want her to marry. Alec announces his engagement to Leslie, which upsets her. She accuses him of being unfaithful, and they break up. Alec blames Kevin for telling Leslie about his past relationship. Jules gives Billy a ride, and Billy makes a romantic move toward her. Jules refuses and tells him to leave, with Felicia witnessing the argument.
When Dale does not attend the party, Kirby visits the ski lodge where she is staying and meets her boyfriend, Guy. Kirby’s borrowed car breaks down, and Dale and Guy invite him inside. The next morning, as Kirby prepares to leave, Dale tells him she is flattered by his interest. They kiss, and Guy takes a photo before leaving.
After breaking up with Alec, Leslie stays at Kevin’s apartment and finds photos of herself. Kevin confesses his feelings for her, and they have sex. Alec arrives to apologize to Kevin and finds Leslie there.
Wendy tells her father she wants to live independently. Jules has been fired, is behind on her credit card payments, and has had her belongings taken. She locks herself in her apartment and opens the windows, intending to freeze. Her friends try to talk her out of it, but she does not respond. Kirby brings Billy, who now works at a gas station thanks to Kevin, to help calm Jules. Billy talks with Jules about life’s challenges, and the others hear their conversation.
Wendy moves into her own home. Billy visits, tells her he is getting a divorce and moving to New York City to pursue music, and they have sex. At the bus station, the group gathers to say goodbye to Billy. Billy tells Alec to reconcile with Leslie, but she says she does not want to date anyone soon. Alec and Kevin make amends, and the group plans to meet for brunch. They decide not to go to St. Elmo's and instead choose Houlihan's because there are fewer young people there.
Production
The film was announced in July 1984. Ned Tanen produced the movie. He also produced The Breakfast Club, and The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire were called "The Little Chills" because they were similar to the film The Big Chill. Tanen said, "These are both movies that no one has ever seen before."
Joel Schumacher said many people refused to make the movie. One studio head called the seven actors in the film "the most unpleasant people he had ever read about." The producers met with many people for the cast, including Anthony Edwards, Jon Cryer, and Lea Thompson. Lauren Shuler Donner said she found Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, and Ally Sheedy through recommendations from John Hughes, who had cast them in The Breakfast Club. Schumacher said he had to work hard to convince the studio to cast these three actors. Demi Moore went to a treatment program before filming began.
Rob Lowe said, "I think some people go to college because it is expected." He added, "Sometimes, college is a place where people wait before entering the real world instead of going there for learning." Judd Nelson said, "I think people will criticize me for playing a character who is very serious, very traditional, and very focused on work. After The Breakfast Club, people might expect me to play a different kind of character." Ally Sheedy said, "It is nice to play a character who is not judged by her boyfriend or how she looks." Demi Moore said, "I enjoyed wearing the clothes in the movie. I have always liked being active and playing outside."
Principal photography started in early October 1984, shortly after Ned Tanen became president of Paramount Pictures' movie division. Georgetown University, a private Catholic school, refused to let the film be shot on campus because of content like premarital sex. Because of this, the film used the public University of Maryland, which is 10 miles away in College Park.
Reception
David Denby described Schumacher as "not very talented" and stated that "people over the age of fifteen" may not enjoy the work of the Brat Pack actors in the film.
According to Janet Maslin, the film received mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 44% from 48 reviews, with an average score of 5.4 out of 10. The site’s summary says, "St. Elmo's Fire is almost peak Brat Pack: it has the cast, the fashion, and the music, but the characters are often hard to like." On Metacritic, the film has an average score of 35 out of 100, based on reviews from 15 critics.
Rob Lowe won a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor for his role in the film at the 6th Golden Raspberry Awards.
In a 2015 review, Justin Gerber of Consequence of Sound said he was "prepared to call it the worst movie of all time" and criticized the characters, plot, set, direction, and music.
Critic Joe Queenan, in his 1998 book Red Lobster, White Trash and the Blue Lagoon, wrote that St. Elmo's Fire is one of the movies "that remind us the 1980s were much worse than we remember today, and by helping these actors start their careers, we may face consequences for many years."
The film earned $6.1 million in its first week. It eventually made $37.8 million, performing better than other underperforming films from Columbia Pictures that year, including Silverado, The Bride, and Perfect.
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack was created by Canadian composer and producer David Foster. He said, "When I was writing the score for St. Elmo's Fire, I loved it. But during the time I spent writing the songs, it felt like doing my usual work."
The song "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" was written by John Parr and David Foster. Foster had been impressed by Parr's earlier song "Naughty Naughty" and asked him to write the title song for the movie. At first, another song was chosen, but Parr did not like it. He said, "That song sounded like Fame II or Flashdance II. I thought the movie deserved more class. It felt like a reused song, and I did not want to sing it."
Foster showed Parr a news clip about Canadian athlete Rick Hansen, who was traveling the world in his wheelchair to raise awareness about spinal cord injuries. His journey was called the "Man in Motion Tour." Inspired by this, Parr decided to write lyrics that connected to the film but also directly mentioned Hansen's efforts.
Parr said he and Foster wrote "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" quickly, between 2 and 4 p.m. on a Friday afternoon. Director Joel Schumacher had given Parr general ideas for the lyrics. "He wanted a song about determination," Parr explained. "He wanted a song about young people making choices about their lives. That is what the movie is about." Parr also said, "In the movie, St. Elmo's is a bar. But to me, St. Elmo's Fire is a magical light in the sky that represents destiny. It is mystical and sacred, like the end of a rainbow."
The song "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in September 1985 and stayed there for two weeks. The instrumental version, titled "Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire," reached No. 15. The song was not included on any of Parr's albums until Letter to America was released in July 2011.
Another song from the movie, "Give Her a Little Drop More," which plays when characters enter St. Elmo's Bar & Restaurant, was written by British jazz trumpeter John Chilton.
A different version of "Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire" with lyrics, called "For Just a Moment," was performed by Amy Holland and Donny Gerrard. This version was the final song on the movie's soundtrack album.
Future
In August 2009, Sony Pictures Television signed an agreement to create a television series based on a movie. The series would use the movie as a starting point and introduce six new characters: three boys and three girls. Topher Grace and Gordon Kaywin from Sargent Hall Productions shared the idea with Jamie Tarses. Together, they asked Dan Bucatinsky to write the first episode, and Schumacher agreed to the plan. By August 2019, the project had been stuck in development for many years. It was later reported that NBC was working on a television series, with Josh Berman as a writer and executive producer.
In June 2024, after the release of the documentary Brats, which brought together members of the original Brat Pack, Sony Pictures announced plans for a legacy sequel. This new story would depend on actors Andrew McCarthy, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, and Mare Winningham returning to their roles from the original movie.
In June 2025, Rob Lowe confirmed to People magazine that a script for the sequel is still being written.