Romantic drama

St. Elmo's Fire (1985): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot

Name: St. Elmo's Fire
Genre: Drama, Romance
Released: 1985-06-28
Duration: 1 h 50 min
Cast: Mare Winningham, Rob Lowe, Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Andrew McCarthy

St. Elmo's Fire is a 1985 romantic drama directed by Joel Schumacher, starring Mare Winningham, Rob Lowe and Judd Nelson. It runs 1 hour 50 minutes and earned $37.8 million worldwide. Critics gave it 35 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 6.4/10.

IMDb rating: 6.4/10
worldwide gross: $37.8M
Metascore: 35

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Watch the trailer Read the plot summary

Released: June 28, 1985
Runtime: 1h 50m (110 min)
Director: Joel Schumacher
Genres: Drama , Romance
Original language: English
Studio: Columbia Pictures
After the credits: No No extra scene

The story

What Is St. Elmo's Fire About?

The premise of St. Elmo's Fire without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

A group of recent college graduates find their youthful ideals challenged as they face the complexities of adulthood. The friends grapple with career disappointments, romantic entanglements, and the search for personal identity. Their experiences explore the struggles and triumphs of navigating early adulthood, filled with both humor and heartache as they try to define their place in the world and find lasting connection.

St. Elmo's Fire Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags

pantyhose
black pantyhose
female stockinged legs
lingerie
democratic party
reference to st elmo
cigarette smoking
male nudity
male rear nudity
party girl
loss of virginity
fistfight

+38 more

sex scene
coming of age
infidelity
suicide attempt
republican party
american politics
changing political affiliation
political affiliation
anger
vagina
punctuation in title
nostalgia
philosophical conversation
virginity
male female relationship
kiss
singing
maturity
soul searching
immaturity
circle of friends
friend
head in toilet
face in toilet
losing a job
dancing
car
u.s. car
chrysler lebaron
jeep
jeep cj 7
coming of age drama
reference to carly simon
reference to mel brooks
halloween party
photograph
woman wears a tie
twink

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Cast & crew

St. Elmo's Fire Cast

Mare Winningham leads the cast, with Rob Lowe and Judd Nelson. Directed by Joel Schumacher; 10 actors are credited in all.

Director Joel Schumacher

Also Starring in St. Elmo's Fire

· 6 more

From the director

More from Joel Schumacher

More films directed by Joel Schumacher, best-rated first: Falling Down, The Lost Boys, The Client and A Time to Kill.

Full filmography

Ratings

St. Elmo's Fire Reviews & Ratings

Critics gave St. Elmo's Fire 35 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 6.4/10.

IMDb

6.4 /10
See on IMDb
Metacritic

35 Metascore

User score 6.3
See on Metacritic
TMDB

61% User score
See on TMDB

Plot

St. Elmo's Fire Plot Summary

What happens in St. Elmo's Fire from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 14 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

Four months post-graduation, the lives of recent college graduates take a tumultuous turn when Wendy Beamish (Mare Winningham) and William “Billy” Hicks (Rob Lowe) find themselves in a car accident. Their friends—Alec Newberry (Judd Nelson), Kirby “Kirbo” Kegger (Emilio Estevez), Kevin Dolenz (Andrew McCarthy), Leslie Hunter (Ally Sheedy), and Jules (Demi Moore)—hurry to the hospital, relieved to discover that the pair has only minor injuries after Billy’s reckless driving leaves Wendy’s new car smashed. Jules scolds Wendy for covering Billy’s medical expenses, feeling that his actions were careless, especially since he wrecked a gift from her father. Following the incident, Billy faces arrest, straining the group’s dynamics.