at least Less Than Zero had Robert Downey Jr… who knew, at the time, that he wasn’t acting?
Hah. I have met him…because I actually lived in the room that he wrote the screenplay in. I used to rent a room in a house in Hollywood (the “Wilton Hilton” which is kind of a signifigant LA rooming house-had no idea when I moved in) and one morning I walked into the kitchen to see a middle-aged man giving an interview.
“…and when I wrote St. Elmos Fire I was living there.” and pointed at my door.
Apparently Demi Moore’s character was a less hysterical version of the girl who rented the room above mine.
After meeting him, I borrowed the movie from a friend and watched it. I actually kind of liked it. Andie McDowell is the worst actress in the world though. She’s teeerrrible.
I have to say, I wasted many hours watching this movie because of my unreasonable attraction to Ally Sheedy. She was sooooo cute back then. I could have brained Judd Nelson with the nearest blunt instrument for cheating on her. I kept wishing she would have just ended up with Andrew McCarthy – who could blame him for being in love with her?
I wished the movie had ended with Demi Moore and Rob Lowe committing suicide together: that would have benefitted the movie, and mankind, to no end.
I worked in a movie theatre at the time, so I have seen parts of this movie waaaaay too many times.
This film actually made me angry with it’s pretentiousness and it’s overall attitude.
“What is the president of the young Democrats doing going door to door for the college Republicans?”
“Moving up for a change.”
“NO MAHLER IS LEAVING THIS HOUSE!”
“WASTED LOVE!”
My Gods this movie it horrible.
“I went to the kitchen and made myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and that was the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich I ever had.”
That’s my takeaway from St. Elmo’s Fire. Mare Winningham (who has otherwise been a very good actor) waxing rhapsodic about the freedom she found in sandwiches.
Just sickness.
Me too. I know I was supposed to like it, but somehow I never quite connected with it. Thanks for this thread, which made me realize that it actually did suck ass.
From Wikipedia:
I spent far too long (about four seconds) trying to figure out what an ass mullet looks like. <shudder>
I wish Emilio’s character (Billy? No, that was Rob Lowe…) had snapped and killed Andie McDowell in a jealous rage, screaming incoherently about how much he loved her while her brains splattered his face and painted the wall behind him.
That would have made the whole movie worth it to me.
Oh no - now you’ve got me imagining this movie as re-done by Quentin Tarantino. No one makes it out alive. As previously mentioned, Billy and Jules commit a double suicide in her bedroom (overdosing on drugs), Kirby (Emilio) rides the lightning after killing Andie MacDowell’s character and her boyfriend, Judd Nelson’s character is killed by Andrew McCarthy’s character in a fit of jealous rage when Ally Sheedy’s character (stupidly) goes back to Judd, then he turns the gun on himself and her. Who have I missed? Oh yeah - Mare Winningham’s character - dies of AIDS five years after sleeping with Billy. How’s that, “I looooove him” working out for you?
The last scene is the friends and family of all these people gathered together, comparing notes of how glad they are that they’re all dead.
Wow, you’ve got some serious misquoting going on there. Apparently the parts you’ve seen way too many times weren’t the ones you were quoting. 
“What is the president of the (name of school) Young Democrats doing working for a Republican senator?”
“Moving up for a buck.”
Mahler? MAHLER? Try, “No Springsteen is leaving this house! You can have all the Carly Simons.”
“Rides the lightning”? 
I think you’re all crazy. I love this movie.
It’s Singles for the 80s. I like these characters a lot more than the crunchy D-bags and burn outs in Singles.
I like Singles, but SEF speaks to my inner Alex Keaton. And Judd Nelson is unbelievably hot in this.
“Goes to the electric chair.”
Emilio’s character was named Kirby.
Ah.
Sorry - I’ve probably read too much Stephen King. 
I always thought this movie was a Baby Boomer’s idea of what the next generation was going to be like. Well, in my opinion Gen X didn’t turn out anything like that, thank god.
Yeah thank fuck the saxamophone went out of fashion, for a while at least.