When Gen-X Ruled the Multiplex Ep.24: St. Elmo's Fire
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- čas přidán 29. 08. 2024
- An analysis of Joel Schumacher's 1985 coming-of-age drama, which starred Emilio Estevez, Demi Moore, Ally Sheedy, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Judd Nelson, and Mare Winningham, and which unintentionally spawned the phenomenon known as the Brat Pack.
The opening scene of them graduating with that beautiful score captures a universal sweet sentiment of being young, naive and optimistic that is just soo deliciously nostalgic. The movie is ambitious in what is trying to capture and although it comes short it has glimpses of what its trying to convey to make that connection with the audience.
That opening scene was corny as hell lol
@@mattsharkey8437 😆
I consider this movie to be a guilty pleasure. There are a few good scenes but it’s mostly over the top, and almost comedic because it’s so detached from reality.
This is a great synopsis. Well researched, well spoken highly entertaining. Thank you.
St. Elmo's Fire was a precursor to Friends.
This movie St. Elmo's Fire was definitely a bookmark in my life! Love this movie. Thanks for the review and memories.
This movie actually mirrored my college years but in the 90's. LoL. I called college, High School with Ashtrays and Bars.
one thing I think st elmo's fire does really well is melodrama, which is unfortunately not often a well respected or critically successful storytelling device. I feel like the people that get it get it though. melodrama is like the fantasy version of emotions. I personally love it and that's why I genuinely love st. elmo's fire. you said it perfectly, it captures a generational zeitgeist and even does it in a zeitgeisty way
I thought it was just me. Just watched it fully yesterday and was morally bankrupt. I still had a good time watching it LOL.
Great job. I enjoyed listening!😊
I love this film. As a gen-xer that lived in Washington DC in the 80's, I find the the characters very relatable and their depiction quite realistic. Sure, a modern (and somewhat cynical) analysis will clearly see their flaws, but that is true of many movies from the 60's, 70's or 80's, rife with sexism, racism, fat phobia and most everything we find appalling today, and but we have to remember that this is an 80's movie about the 80's. Critics may not like it, but most of the audience does, and as a portrait of the era, it is very accurate.
Dale's "you seem like a fine young man" is 100% her being like "I will say anything to get you to leave without attacking me or my boyfriend." XD I want to see the horror movie version of this from her perspective.
This was, in fact, a bad movie full of terrible people, but I enjoyed it. I agree that Kirby is somehow the worst despite Billy behind an attempted rapist, which is... amazing? How does one even manage to do that.
Yeah, and then Alec comes in a distant third in the Most Horrible Character race, which is quite an accomplishment, because Alec has no redeeming traits. It's a dreadful film. I sort of adore it.
@@MorganRichter Agreed! Alec is terrible, but he's also just kind of a blur. I feel like everyone knows an Alec, but Billy and Kirby are a special kind of "oh wow, yikes."
Judd Nelson, is 'pitch perfect' playing this character - it takes guts to play someone that is that unlikeable.
BUT never forget Alec's display of tiny shards of humanity:
~ Rescues Jules from Arab 'gang bangers' in the early hours
~ Visits Kevin's apartment to apologize to him for the punch-up at the pardy
~ Contributes significantly to the grads' rescue of classmate Jule's half-baked/half-nude suicide attempt
Strange character - obnoxious but vaguely sweet and endearing at the same time.
They are horrible characters.
And that's why this film works, this mirrors so much of my early 20s and we all had friends like this until you drift apart.... In fact it was so crazy that life is probably more insane than this film.
This film is the mirror to our youth
Your dry wit is hilarious!!
Love this movie, and my all-time favorite movie quote come from it; 'Love is an illusion created by lawyer types like yourself, to perpetuate another illusion called marriage, to create a reality of divorce and an illusionary need for divorce lawyers.'
I loved it too and … eventually… became a lawyer 😂
My favorite 80s movie❤️
Such a great review, it makes the whole film make so much more sense.
I just discovered your channel and I am so thankful that you are the first person to make a review type video about this movie because it led me to your whole channel and I LOVE learning about the history of the movies of this time, I appreciate that it comes from a perspective of someone who was there and experienced it first hand(still with an opened and sound mind) I love your videos and takes on things keep making more thank you!!!
I will have to watch this film again, the review brings so much value to it. Thank you for the video.
Well, I just finished watching this movie again. It was hard to listen to some of their pretentious dialog early on, which was too fanciful for any real person to recite in normal conversation. Unless they memorized the words.
And then there was Mr. Too Cool Andrew McCarthy, always having a cigarette in hand or hanging from his mouth. He took some getting used to. I guess most of them did.
But I still enjoyed it.
The most unbelievable part was when Emilio shows up at Andie's place, screaming like a madman, and her roommate gives him the address of the ski lodge? Yeah, sure. At the very least, she would have called Andie to warn her he's coming.
And somehow I found it hard to believe that party-boy Rob Lowe actually graduated college.
How did they get in the acetylene tank up a fire escape? why not use a saw, why not reach in and close the window if her freezing was such a danger?
Good analysis. I would add that ST ELMOS fire marked the turning point. It was the climax for brat pack teenage comedies and it all ended from there. But when the movie came out, it didn't matter what it was about: the stars were at their peak and this movie managed to cash in on their stardom one last time.
Actually the best rat pack movie was after this
" about last night"
@@piper888
ALN, is a very good relationship drama, based on the acclaimed David Mamet play with a name so long (and lurid!) the filmmakers changed it to ALN... suprised it didn't make Morgan's list.
It's almost like a sequel to Elmo's - filmed one year apart. If you can imagine Jules&Billie sequestered into a witness protection program in Chicago, after some highly dramatic event in DC - ALN would be a good match for this scenario.
Both characters are a bit dull compared to their respective characters in Elmo's but equally, Demi & Rob turn in very good performances as dramatic leads in a relationship drama - very coming of age for both actors.
For me, this film bookends to the last movie of the brat pack era.
I remember watching this film in the 80's as a teen and thinking something was wrong with me because I didn't like it. Now that I'm much older I realize it's the characters. I wouldn't be friends with any of those jerks.
Your reaction was probably a healthy reaction to insistence of putting sex and trashiness into movies in the 80s but pretending it was sophisticated if done by people with good jobs in nice clothes. Some of us saw through the charade and saw the trashiness for what it was.
Wow. This was a dope analysis. I really liked it. So many things rang true although when I saw it, I never considered any of the characters terrible people...well, except Alex. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Kirby was strictly conditioning to kids like me to think that his behavior was acceptable if a guy really liked you. For me, Billy and Jules were just mixed up. I still don't know why anyone would have an issue with Leslie, Kevin or Wendy.
Enjoyed your analysis and crisply written narration. I remember quite well going to see this in the theatre and, as a teenager, thought it was great. As I aged (hopefully matured) and rewatched it years later, the entire story was painfully melodramatic, narcissistic, superficial and entirely classic 80’s. And yet…on occasion…I still enjoy watching it for the nostalgia.m😊
Thank you for this review of my life at this time. I think I lived just about Every scene of this movie including the University of Maryland. Thank you.
I love the costume design by Susan Becker.
This was really about Regans aspirational culture
😂❤ This was so nostalgic for me! God, all of them are awful and pretty AF.
Good work. Something tells me you have a
Less Than Zero is on my list!
The sad thing is that there were A LOT of people in the 80's who very much resembled the characters in this movie.
I saw this movie in 1985. (I'm old) I've seen it a few times since. I just realized something. When Billy heads to New York at the end of the movie, doesn't he have an unresolved DUI charge pending? He's going to get dragged back to DC (or VA or wherever the charge was made) if he doesn't come back down for his court appearance...
Excellent observation!
A wonderful review! I appreciate the movie even more because of it.☺️☺️☺️
You mention the roles Jenny Wright played, but the one I remember her from is The World According To Garp. That was a strange but awesome movie.
You got to see Jenny and Anthony Michael Hall in 'Out of Bounds' - his coming of age movie. Jenny is way prettier in Bounds than she is in Elmo's.
The big one next week, looking forward to that :)
I was born in 1973, so I was much younger than The Brat Pack. But I remember that time vividly. The music, movies & social culture at that time is not easily explained, and even less understood. It was a decade unlike any to follow. However, the Brat Pack described in that magazine article was exactly how they were! It upsets me that any of them regret or dislike their contribution to that entire generation because of a catchy title. Of course these painfully talented, young, gorgeous actors were observed behaving as I would expect them too! As I would have behaved if lucky enough to have been there! They fucking partied their asses off! The world was at their fingertips! Cocaine was more common & accepted than pot! Let’s not condemn them today, for what is now perceived as wrong. We all wanted to be a part of The Brat Pack. Icons.
Have a fond affection for this and have seen it many times.
I think it's important to note what I call the condensed timeline. There's so much 'self-created' drama because the REAL timeline is Graduation Day aged 22 upto 30th birthday...the writers cant do another Big Chill so instead pack a lot of drama into the first year after graduation.
It’s a hedonistic tale with nice looking people to hide the despicable actions done.
3:30-4:08 Fabulous commentary "...and that's enough"
I think Kevin is a decent guy. Granted, he’s a depressed guy who plays bongos and has a large poster of Woody Allen (pre- Sun Yi) so I guess he gets a pass for that. He just is pinning a bit too hard for Ally Sheedy and has no game when it comes to women. I guess McCarthy has a likability that the other guys don’t.
Nah, Leslie the aspiring architect (Ally Sheedy) is the best one. She is the most emotionally healthy. Her only real potentially negative is... slow/cautious? Taking time to observe things before jumping in (to marriage, to career, etc), can laugh and have a drink in moderation. She thinks its curious Alec would switch political parties (politics isnt like law, where all the prosecuters were once defenders and vice versa), because *she* wouldn't, and it seems a bit mercenary, but at the same time she isnt gonna judge him, and I dont think its just self interest due to his $ for wedding in addition to vacation (she hasnt even formally said yes to engagement). But when there's a real violation/push, she draws the line, realizes what she wants, and goes for it.
Wendy isn't bad per se, but she is a bit condescending and too repressed and self effacing. Not to mention in love with a total loser who is another woman's husband (who has a kid under 1yo and they are not separated til the end).
For example Leslie is just patient, she enjoys and loves Alec, but wants to see how he is in a rship and maybe look into whether he is cheating (i guess she suspects) before rushing into engagement. She shows concern for her friends. She seems confident in a healthy way, not out of vanity or sexual manipulation like Jules. When she gets Alec red flags: nonconsensual engagement announced, cheating confirmed, angry tendency to physical violence - she is out of there! Yet she isnt playing at being "hard" like Jules might've, she retains her vulnerability/shows she feels betrayed/hurt.
Whereas Wendy, though kind, she "puts up" with Billys chronic disrespect and exploitation of her (in addition to the whole "he's married w kid" thing), and lets her family smother and overide her needs and will. Her body image issues seem to affect her self esteem.
I mean Wendy is certainly far from the worst of them, but Leslie seems pretty awesome.
thank you for this great review! hope you can post more in the future :+)
The theme of the movie was friendship and it doesn't exist...only on screen.
Thing i liked most about the movie was its theme song still one of my favorites from the 80s
“80s Valhalla” lmao
You just popped up on my feed. I just watched your take on Liquid Sky. That film is a real favorite of mine since I 1st saw it around the time Blue Velvet came out. Liked your approach -subscribed.
This film could have put more substance into their relationships but they're all portrayed as very shallow and undeveloped. They all have various feelings but seemingly for no particular reason.
You’re really good at this
The only "reward" Kirby needed was a jail sentence and a restraining order.
Good stuff, as ever. But as soon as you mentioned Near Dark I thought, THAT would certainly be apropos this month. Still in the top tier of vampire movies.
Near Dark is definitely on the list!
Near dark was the bomb. I did not know it was a Katherine Bigelow gem.
Never saw it. Is it a good watch?
Did you watch the documentary of Brats?😊
I had a marriage and 3 kids BECAUSE of this movie! Woo hoo! 🍿
This sounds like an awesome episode of bh 90210 in one of the later seasons
I'm pretty sure Darren Star was inspired by this movie to make both 90210 and Melrose Place.
You're covering all the Important Movies! Thank you! #BillyIdol #WrestleABear
And how did they afford their college fees?
I heard the song, from the movie, in a shop and then blasted it from my phone. I was thinking of watching it again, after a decade or two, or more, with my 14yo. Did this research...now... Nope. Nope, nope and NOPE! Great song, tho.
Please review Class some time 🤞
The cross-dressing jape is LOL +++
Why did they trash talk Andrew McCarthy?
From the NY Magazine Brat Pack piece: "For actors so imbued with the ensemble spirit, the Brat Pack members are out for themselves. “Sean is crazy with all of his role preparations, becoming the character in every way,” one says. And of Andrew McCarthy, one of the New York-based actors in St. Elmo’s Fire, a co-star says, “He plays all his roles with too much of the same intensity. I don’t think he’ll make it.” The Brat Packers save their praise for themselves."
I would say Andrew McCarthy “made it”. He starred in a lot of movies after St. Elmo’s and became a director and travel writer and even wrote a novel. Emilio Estevez on the other hand, pretty much crashed and burned after the mid 90’s.
In an in-film prophecy fulfilling Leslie's prediction, McCarthy went on to become a highly praised travel writer echoing Kevin's aspirations in Elmo's.
While its a Gen-X movie, the characters are technically late boomers.
FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH
Though many people would see this film as simply something that wouldn't happen...my experience after a network that I hung out with in college finally graduated (after being total party people in college) and then went into "the real world" was actually very similar to what happened on the film (and this was after the 2000's started). They had no goals, they were completely aimless, and they had absolutely no morals. They were just moving around and going from job to job and state to state for no known reason whatsoever. The characters on this film were more extreme than they were only in certain aspects.
And the network I was around were major drinkers and potheads after they graduated.
Drifting around from job to job and town to town is undiagnosed mental illness.
@@kevinmichael2023 You just say that because you are a born coward, you don't believe anything you say.
@@btetschner..so my comment which merely echos your original Point Of View causes you to call me a coward and a liar!
And I'm someone you know nothing about.
It seems I was 💯 correct about people aimlessly drifting... internalised rage issues no doubt
@@kevinmichael2023 Your loyalties are aimlessly drifting to whoever will protect you. You are a fraud and a coward, we can both agree on that.
3:51....yup the movie in a nutshell
I MISS THEM.
Mare winningham isn’t a brat packer
No Wendy is not good either. She's saving it for somebody special? Billy's got a wife kid and girlfriend. And he's a creep and if she's a nice girl she be waiting for a nice guy IMO
I think this is the fourth time you have listed Joel Schumacher’s film achievements and still you haven’t mentioned “Falling Down”. And while I can understand if you didn’t care for it, it is nonetheless one of his greatest movies
I think "falling down" is his greatest. I'm not a big fan of his and her review is almost too nice regarding st elmo's fire. But "falling down" perfectly captures the angry a m talk radio types of early 90s.
@@andrewhoyle1521The am radio shows saved me from becoming a naive liberal
Aussome video!!
Those people are a bunch of self-absorbed, obnoxious idiots. If it didn't generate nostalgia for the 80s, it wouldn't have much to offer. It's still watchable, but I don't think you'll find anyone who preferred it over "The Breakfast Club." They aren't even in the same league.
And by the way, your reviews kick ass.
They were boomers!
Awesome video. I disliked this movie. I just could not wrap my head around how painful the characters were.
in real life, those actors are boomers, not Gen X.
This movie was so unrealistic, who would continue to chill out at your local college bar, after graduation? No way! It does not happen. Moreover, no periods of unemployment? The late 80s were a nightmare for early Gen Xers, I had older cousins that could not find jobs with the recession....even from Ivy league institutions. If anything, Reality Bites is spot on.
By 85 the economy was booming unlike 80-81-82 83
This had the most unlikeable and devolving cast of characters ever put to film. None of them learned anything at the end of the movie. If anything they were actually worse people. I’ll say that the trailer and cinematography was pure 80’s bliss.
She speaks too fast for me. I can't keep up.
The Big Chill
Gap.
It was trying to be a hipper, modern "Diner", with girls in the main cast.
This movie had good moments (not the Kirby ones, for sure) but it mostly sucked.
Diner is one the best moviqes ever.
Wendy doesn't sleep with him though, she kicks him out because he makes fun of her underwear
I can't believe someone will sit there high and mighty, condescending a classic film, when they have no idea what they're even talking about