MovieChat Forums > St. Elmo's Fire (1985) Discussion > To all the Haters - A Different Perspect...

To all the Haters - A Different Perspective

posted 8 years ago by evi320
11 replies | jump to latest

I grew up in Arlington, VA, just across the Potomac from Georgetown. I was in 5th grade when this movie came out. I always watch it for when I want a trip down memory lane.

Yes, girls really wore their hair and dressed like Leslie. My dad, who worked on Capitol Hill, had a young guy who worked for him who looked exactly like Billy and always f-ed up and drank too much and partied too much and God rest his soul, died too young. Had a huge crush on him. My first car was a LeBaron convertible just like Mare Winningham's in the movie. My mom had a single friend who had hot pink walls just like Jules. I thought she was SO cool. And yes, for decades, the politicos and wannabes have been pretending to be richer and more powerful than they are just to fit in.

So for those of you who hate the movie, there were those of us who grew up nearby who thought the movie captured the time and the place just perfectly. Like I said, it's a different perspective.

[–] daverindone 8 years ago

I'm with you as I graduated high school the same year this came out. After college and getting jobs, I knew plenty of people that refused to grow up and move on (Billy), over spenders (Jules), clung to their parent's ideals (Wendy) and people just trying to get a break (Kirby and Kevin). The styles were spot on, too, for the time. Some of the dialog is silly and the plotline is sort of all over the place, but screw it - that's life.

[–] evi320 8 years ago

Thanks for your reply. I was 18 or 19 when Reality Bites came out years later. I was drifting then, just like those characters and the ones in St Elmo's Fire. They capture that idea of what happens after school and adult life is a big, scary, sometimes boring surprise. Maybe that's why they appealed to me in their time and are a great nostalgia trip now.

Appreciated your insights!

[–] daverindone 8 years ago

It was like The Expendables of quarter life crisis movies. I mean, I've seen worse, so much worse in the years after the movie was release and the soundtrack is nearly instantly recognizable. I think so many critics were put off due to how they packed the film with so many of the biggest stars of the time only to come off to what people considered a Breakfast Club for the 20's. I still say it's my all time favorite "bad" movie, so whatever.

[–] evi320 8 years ago

Yes the big suspenseful part of the movie with Jules in her apartment and them trying to break in was not the best, and I have to laugh at how many references there are to Billy saying "Let's Rock!" on these boards. But it captured a moment in time that was really special - Georgetown was absolutely awesome in the 80s.

Also, with your reference to the Breakfast Club, I remember the other movie it got compared to was The Big Chill, which was of course a much beloved movie around the same time, so I'm sure in comparison, it paled considerably.

[–] daverindone 8 years ago

No kidding! Was Jules going to freeze herself to death over the course of 12 hours? The blowing curtains just reeked of 80's. I did like the visuals, with rolling leaves, smoky fires, neon, etc. The director is famous for style, if not substance. That scene with Billy was ironic because he's out there at the bar, playing away, kissing Jules, picking up random girls and then gets upset when his wife shows up with another guy.

There was another movie called Queens Logic that was a early-mid 90's version of St. Elmo's, Huge cast of stars (current and future), but it's nearly impossible to find. I did like The Big Chill as Jeff Goldblum has always been a fave or mine.

[–] intelligentsupermodel 8 years ago

OP that is an awesome story! Love this movie!

And, now that you bring it up, I could definitely see Billy's character dying young as well.

[–] evi320 8 years ago

Thank you! This movie has a special place in my heart, as a few years later, about 1988-89, I hung out in Georgetown a lot with my friends. A lot of the filming locations, like the scene where Jules and Leslie walk along the canal, are very familiar.

And great point about Billy. People on that path rarely change. Our friend, Joe, didn't, unfortunately. They could have been the same person, the story was that familiar. Like the characters in the movie, we all really loved Joe, but we were kind of helpless and could only watch him self-destruct over the years, when the drinking and partying turned from cool to plain sad. Joe was as good looking as Billy was too.

So yes, I still watch this, despite all the critics. I love it and always will!

[–] evi320 8 years ago

I think I saw Queens Logic! I'll have to look that one up.

The movie "Singles" is also reminiscent but as a solely southern/eastern girl, I couldn't relate to the Seattle theme. I did love me some grunge back in the 90s though, as long as it lasted! :)

[–] daverindone 8 years ago

Queens Logic seems to be harder to find, but I'd still say it was a late 80's/early 90's equivalent. A remember Singles, but have never seen it. I think that came out when my wife and I were new parents of two kids so the mid 90's were kind of a blur. What's funny is my now 21 year old son will only listen to 90's stuff, so I find him CD's at local yard sales for a dollar.

Another one that sort of fits is Reality Bytes, if you want the classic tale of 20 year old falling in love and/or fighting each other.

Finally, 80's on 8 played John Parr's Man in Motion the other day as I got called in to do a quick job for work. I needed a little inspiration, so that go me going. A cheesy, but earnest anthem of the time.

[–] evi320 8 years ago

Reality Bites also captured its time just perfectly. I remember watching that one and realizing I wasn't alone - I was struggling just like the characters in the movie. The soundtrack, like St. Elmo's Fire, was also perfect.

[–] 8 years ago

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