cult film freak: BRAT PACK MELODRAMATIC PERFECTION OF 'ST. ELMO'S FIRE'

Judd Nelson in ST. ELMO'S FIRE Year: 1985

A group of college graduates, a few months after leaving the cozy nest of dorm life, wind up on their own in the big city yet still have each other to depend on: Thus in 1985, when the so-called “Brat Pack” was in full form, ST. ELMO’S FIRE was the navel-gazing follow-up to THE BREAKFAST CLUB just as CLUB has graduated past SIXTEEN CANDLES (only this has nothing to do with John Hughes, amazingly enough)...

Ally Sheedy and Judd Nelson in ST. ELMO'S FIRE Rating: ***1/2

As Judd Nelson plays Alec, the group’s shallow mentor, a hopeful in politics who switches from Democrat to Republican because the pay is better: His girlfriend Leslie... another CLUB alumni Ally Sheedy... doesn’t want to get married — a wise choice since Alec has the philandering sex drive of a Kennedy.

Andrew McCarthy in ST. ELMO'S FIRE

Emilio Estevez’s Kirby takes the lightweight mantel: he’s smitten with a gorgeous doctor (Andie MacDowell, the White Rabbit Suzanne Somers ala AMERICAN GRAFFITI) and tries everything to land a date while the artistic bookends are two polar opposites: Andrew McCarthy’s Kevin is a hopeful journalist while the “still partying like he’s back at school” Billy, a scene-stealing Rob Lowe, plays both the glossy saxophone and lots of women despite having a wife and child...

Of all, Demi Moore’s Jules is the most enjoyable... She’s as wild as Lowe's Billy and, having an affair with her boss and a penchant for cocaine and good times, her girlfriends, including mousy Mare Winningham's rich kid Wendy, hopelessly in love with the womanizing Lowe, providing the most intriguing "romance", doesn’t understand what makes her tick… like an inevitable time bomb!

Demi Moore, a Satanic Clown, and Rob Lowe in ST. ELMO'S FIRE

Leading to an 11th hour heartfelt conversation between wild cards Lowe and Moore, which includes the meaning of the film's ambiguous title and has some pretty good acting to cover up the "every line means something" corny melodramatic dialogue, that's just all too perfect.

Thus director Joel Schumacher’s script never lets the clichés rest and the dialogue's far too contrived to seem completely real. But by the end there’s a feeling you really know these people — although you might be torn whether to hug or slug them. NOTE: Forgive the two fonts used, but it's the New Blogger that has more glitches than Windows Vista and has almost entirely ruined the Blogging experience for yours truly as now all reviews will be summaries.