MovieChat Forums > St. Elmo's Fire (1985) Discussion > Why did they stay in Washington, D.C. af...

Why did they stay in Washington, D.C. after graduation?

posted 14 years ago by dcavalli
11 replies | jump to latest

We got to see only Wendy's (Mare Winningham) family who lives in Washington, D.C. or in Maryland or Virginia within the Beltway (I-495).

I thought it was strange they all decided to stay in Washington, D.C. after graduation to make their lives. Were the rest from the D.C. area like Wendy? I thought that most Georgetown students were residents (i.e. from around the country who lived on campus and not locals or "commuters").

Since he loved politics, I could see Alec (Judd Nelson) staying in Washington, D.C. Since Leslie (Ally Sheedy) was in love with him, staying made sense. Billy (Rob Lowe) had a wife and kid to support (to the extent that he did). At the end, he does leave to make his way in New York. Wendy (Mare Winningham) obviously had her family in the area. Since Dale was in the area, Kirby (Emilio Estevez) trapped himself. It would be interesting to see if he does stay after he gives up on Dale.

But Kevin (Andrew McCarthy) would have done better in New York as a journalist/writer. Jules (Demi Moore) might have done better in New York or Los Angeles.

Most, if not all, cliques break up after graduation (high school or college). Some people choose to go home (to work or continue their education and be near their families), others go to other cities (for work or education). Some would stay in the city where they went to school such as NYC, LA, Boston, or Washington, D.C. if there were opportunities. But that everyone would do that didn't seem believable (unless there were others in the clique who did leave).

At the time, email was in its infancy (on Compuserve and Prodigy) and the Internet, as we know it, didn't exist. Today, through email and social networking sites, it's probably easier to maintain cliques (assuming the members don't get tired of each other or simply outgrow certain people).

[–] blinkysmom 14 years ago

Um, because it's a 1985 MOVIE ~ not a documentary ...

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What??!!

[–] nutsberryfarm 12 years ago

ben's chili bowl. it's just that good!

His name...was Julio Iglesias!

[–] vmars080 11 years ago

because it's a 1985 MOVIE ~ not a documentary ...

That is the right answer :) I think the OP is over-thinking instead of just enjoying. Analyzing films to death takes the magic away.

[–] tisket 13 years ago

I think all of the reasons you stated are pretty valid. Billy eventually made the move to NYC, but yes, he had his wife and child so he had ties to the town. Kirby seemed unsure about what to do next and was still working until he figured things out. Jules had a job but I think she needed the emotional support of her friends (although she wouldn't admit it) since she was going through a difficult time with her father. You are right about Alec and Leslie staying for Alec's career and since Leslie stayed, so did Kevin, although he could probably could work from home or eventually move to wherever he got a job. Wendy had a job and family in the area, plus she probably didn't want to go too far from Billy. Lots of people from other areas stay in their college town for a few years after graduation because of friends/unsure about the next step/want to keep partying)/work/grad school/like the area. They were all recent grads so probably would have eventually left the area for whatever reason.

[–] jboyer-3 12 years ago

Per the reasons listed above, I don't think it's entirely implausible that they stayed. Also, DC's a major city with lots of job opportunities, so it's not as though they opted to stick around a college town like Athens, GA. When you're just starting out after college and you have little money and experience, it can be comforting and even empowering to stay in a familiar place. They had each other for support, they knew which neighborhoods were good/safe for apartments, they could use Georgetown's alumni office to help them network with other alumni, etc. A year or two after graduation, maybe it would be strange if some of them were still there, but they were barely out of school when the movie took place.

[–] henrimaine 11 years ago

I also wondered about that: how come these former college kids were still in that same town after graduation? It seemed that by the beginning of the movie, at least 1-2 years had passed since their graduation. It would be nice if all college friends could stay in the same area like that, but that's not how it goes most of the time. But it's not entirely impossible. So I'm not going to trash the movie for that.

[–] vmars080 11 years ago

Well, back then if you were 22 or 23 and a college grad, you went to work. You got your own house or apartment. It is so different now.

And they all stayed close because it's in the script. That's the best answer I can give you, except i guess suggesting watching it again? Sorry i'm not more help.

I would love to know where all it was shot, the outdoor scenes were just so beautiful! I'd give up the Internet to be close to my friends in a real way now.

[–] dgbenner 10 years ago

to OP - sounds like a job for St Elmo's Fan Fiction!

[–] dcavalli 10 years ago

It would interrupt my fishing schedule.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] jefgg 9 years ago

I couldn't wait to go back home after graduating college. But that is just me. Maybe it was because I attended college in Trenton, NJ. What I returned to was nothing special, but it was HOME.