# Just watched "St. Elmo's Fire" - Wow. That Sucked. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 14, 2011, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-st-elmos-fire-wow-that-sucked/592661 "2011-08-14T06:02:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-st-elmos-fire-wow-that-sucked/592661/21 "2011-08-15T18:38:29Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > I lump this movie in with _Less than Zero_ and others of the genre because they’re about spoiled college and post-college douchebags who assume that life is easy because they’re pretty people with money and are shocked SHOCKED! to find out that they’ve got problems like everyone else. > > Although I did like it when I was in high school. I’ve matured since then. at least _Less Than Zero_ had Robert Downey Jr… who knew, at the time, that he wasn’t acting? ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-st-elmos-fire-wow-that-sucked/592661/22 "2011-08-15T18:41:15Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > Never seen the film, but I did share a dining car table with the screenwriter on the Amtrak train from Chicago to Los Angeles, and he was an insufferable prick. Didn’t fill me with the desire to fill in this hole in my 80s film history. 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. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-st-elmos-fire-wow-that-sucked/592661/23 "2011-08-16T05:51:13Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-st-elmos-fire-wow-that-sucked/592661/24 "2011-08-16T07:17:00Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-st-elmos-fire-wow-that-sucked/592661/25 "2011-08-16T07:57:55Z")
“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. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-st-elmos-fire-wow-that-sucked/592661/26 "2011-08-16T12:04:44Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > About the only thing I remember thinking during the movie was, are we going to get to see Demi Moores’ breasts? [About Last Night](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090583/) It’ll satisfy those who lust for Rob Lowe, too. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-st-elmos-fire-wow-that-sucked/592661/27 "2011-08-16T14:12:14Z")
Just sickness. > [@Zebra](#): > > I worked in a movie theatre at the time, so I have seen parts of this movie waaaaay too many times. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-st-elmos-fire-wow-that-sucked/592661/28 "2011-08-16T14:22:28Z")
From Wikipedia: > [@](#): > > St. Elmo’s Fire holds a 45% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with 13 positive reviews out of 29 reviews.[1] > > Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert included it on their “worst of 1985” list. > > Rob Lowe won a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor for this film.[2] ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-st-elmos-fire-wow-that-sucked/592661/29 "2011-08-16T17:05:26Z")
> [@Chicagojeff](#): > > THough my boy John Parr rocked a mean ass mullet.. I spent far too long (about four seconds) trying to figure out what an ass mullet looks like. \ ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-st-elmos-fire-wow-that-sucked/592661/30 "2011-08-16T18:04:32Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-st-elmos-fire-wow-that-sucked/592661/31 "2011-08-16T18:13:50Z")
> [@pepperlandgirl](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-st-elmos-fire-wow-that-sucked/592661/32 "2011-08-16T19:25:00Z")
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. 😉 > [@Zebra](#): > > “What is the president of the young Democrats doing going door to door for the college Republicans?” > “Moving up for a change.” “What is the president of the (name of school) Young Democrats doing **working for a Republican senator**?” “Moving up for a **buck**.” > [@Zebra](#): > > “NO MAHLER IS LEAVING THIS HOUSE!” Mahler? MAHLER? Try, “No **Springsteen** is leaving this house! You can have all the Carly Simons.” ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-st-elmos-fire-wow-that-sucked/592661/33 "2011-08-16T21:14:51Z")
“Rides the lightning”? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-st-elmos-fire-wow-that-sucked/592661/34 "2011-08-16T22:09:45Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-st-elmos-fire-wow-that-sucked/592661/35 "2011-08-16T22:33:56Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > “Rides the lightning”? 😕 “Goes to the electric chair.” ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-st-elmos-fire-wow-that-sucked/592661/36 "2011-08-16T22:35:30Z")
> [@pepperlandgirl](#): > > 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. Emilio’s character was named Kirby. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2011, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-st-elmos-fire-wow-that-sucked/592661/37 "2011-08-16T22:35:37Z")
Ah. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-st-elmos-fire-wow-that-sucked/592661/38 "2011-08-17T00:31:00Z")
> [@a35362](#): > > “Rides the lightning”? 😕 Sorry - I’ve probably read too much Stephen King. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-st-elmos-fire-wow-that-sucked/592661/39 "2011-08-17T01:02:20Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-st-elmos-fire-wow-that-sucked/592661/40 "2011-08-17T01:08:09Z")
> [@Sarahfeena](#): > > 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. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-st-elmos-fire-wow-that-sucked/592661.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-watched-st-elmos-fire-wow-that-sucked/592661.md?page=3)