Review of St. Elmo's Fire (1985) by Lane W — 20 Feb 2012

I really liked it much more than I expected. Perhaps I'm just at the point in my life where I can connect with these guys and their problems. The writers did a great job making it about more than just relationships.

Everyone is trying to figure out what to do with their lives now that they're out of college, but they don't know where to go. They are following a path they think is right, but all of them are forcing themselves there.

Kirby wants to follow a love that he had in college. It turns into an obsession. But is this a true love, or is he trying to grasp onto something that reminds him of college? Is it something that will keep him grounded? Billy Hicks wants to take a job that will help him make money to raise his daughter and put food on the table.

But is that what he really wants? He's a talented saxophonist. He also cheats like crazy. I don't think settling down or having a career is in the cards for him. Kevin wants to write about the secret of life, but he comes up empty.

Strange enough, he writes for the obituary instead. He thinks love is just a joke. Probably because his best friend is with the girl he loves and he doesn't treat her well. Jules is a girl who is completely lost.

She thinks she wants a career to help pay the bills and keep her fabulous lifestyle. But this fabulous lifestyle leads to drugs and an affair (also costs her her job). Alec thinks he just wants to get married.

Once he gets married he will stop cheating. He even takes a job that goes against everything he used to believe in. He's pushing against himself and what he really wants. Leslie wants to stick it out with Alec, but she doesn't quite see what is stopping her from marrying him.

It's something, but she can't quite put her finger on it. Her biggest problem is that she can't see she needs to be alone for a while. Wendy is stuck at her home while she works as a social worker.

Her father wants her to get married and go into the family business, but that's not what she wants. She needs to stand up for herself. All of these guys are friends, they all have their problems, and they all are too self-centered to help each other out.

Perhaps it's not fair to say they are too self-centered. At this stage of your life, it's hard to be anything else. You're trying to figure everything out for yourself that it's hard to take care of someone else.

There is a ton of heart behind St. Elmo's Fire, which is what makes it so charming. Perhaps it's not perfect in every sense, but it's done well and it gives the audience plenty to connect with.