Plot: What’s it about?
Ah, the 80’s: Reganomics, AIDS and The Brat Pack. Yep, that’s what I remember about that decade. In 1985 I was 12 years old, so coming-of-age films about a group of twenty-something’s entering adulthood wasn’t really up my alley. I was all about The Goonies or The Breakfast Club. Still, as I look back several decades later, I will say that this time in one’s life is an important one. Having “checked all the boxes” myself, it’s an awkward time in which you’re technically an adult, but you still have no idea what you want to do with your life. Though there are shades of The Graduate in this film, I personally feel it was better addressed nearly a decade later in Reality Bites. Hey, to each their own. Nevertheless, four decades have passed since the release of this film and until the disc arrived, I’d never seen it. I knew that 60% of the pricipal cast of The Breakfast Club was in it (Sheedy, Estevez and Nelson) and that Rob Lowe had a part as well. Fast fact, I used to date Rob Lowe’s cousin. There ya go. And here we go – ready to be a “man in motion?”
The film focuses on seven friends who have just recently graduated from college (Georgetown if it matters, though the shots were filmed at the University of Maryland). It’s a period of adjustment and uncertainty. We meet Alec (Judd Nelson) who’s just moved in with Leslie (Ally Sheedy). He’s eager to move along, but his libido needs a ring to be held in check. There’s Billy (Rob Lowe), married with a child, but would rather spend his time at the fraternity house and womanizing. Wendy (Mare Winningham) is the shy virgin who pines for Billy. There’s Kevin (Andrew McCarthy), a struggling writer searching for inspiration and meaning in his life. There’s Jules (Demi Moore) who works at a bank, but her drug problem is getting the best of her. Finally we meet Kirby (Emilio Estevez) who wants to be a lawyer but seems to be doing fine with being a waiter at the local hangout – St. Elmo’s Fire. He becomes infatuated with a nurse (Andie McDowell). This, in essence, is their story.
There are a lot of films about that awkward transition from child to adolescent, but not too many dealing with that transition to adulthood. I’d argue that the latter is far more important. Obviously, no one managed to convey the former in the 80’s than John Hughes with his films. Writer and Director Joel Schumacher seemed to nail this as well with an older demographic. So while St. Elmo’s Fire wasn’t exactly The Breakfast Club, it does have a message to say. I was more of a fan of Schumacher’s later films and he’d give us The Lost Boys just a couple of years later along with Flatliners and Falling Down. Then again he also gave us Batman and Robin so perhaps he should have quit while he was ahead? Time is good to some films and terrible to others. I’ll never have any emotional connection to this one like I did with some John Hughes films, but that’s fine. For those that do, you’ll always have St. Elmo’s Fire.
Video: How’s it look?
Having never seen the film before (other than a trailer or two here and there), I really had nothing to go off of. But I know that Sony’s titles, catalog and new, are among the best out there so I had high hopes. Thankfully those hopes weren’t dashed when I put the disc in the player and I was nearly transported back to the mid 80’s when I saw that familiar Columbia Tri-Star logo pop up. It nearly brought a tear to my eye. Ok, maybe not. However it is odd to see some of these stars, most of whom are still working today, in their early to mid 20’s with no wrinkles, botox and so forth. Colors are bright and bold, detail is impressive and we’re presented with strong contrast thanks to the HDR that only a 4K disc can offer. The 2.39:1 HEVC 4K picture is the best the film has ever looked and my inaugural viewing left me amply satisfied.
Audio: How’s it sound?
Looking back at the review database on this site, I see that we did a review of the DVD some years ago and it contained a Dolby Digital 4.0 mix. That’s one you don’t see (or hear, rather) too often. Thankfully that’s been replaced by a new Dolby Atmos mix that’s sure to please. With due respect to the film, it’s more widely know for John Parr’s #1 hit son “Man in Motion” (the special features contain its video). The film is essentially dialogue-driven, with a smattering of surround effects, but nothing to get to excited about. It’s a good, solid mix, but nothing that’ll shake the walls.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Audio Commentary – Writer/director Joel Schumacher provides a talkative and quite informative session. Schumacher allows little silence to be heard and seems to remember a lot about the movie, from the production to the writing process and beyond. Given that he wrote and directed the film, he’s got a lot to say so it’s a good listen, though it’s the same track that’s been on disc for quite some time.
- Joel Schumacher Remembers St. Elmo’s Fire – If listening to 110 minutes of Schumacher prattle on about the film wasn’t enough, we get this brief featurette in which he recalls some memories from said film.
- Deleted Scenes – A dozen are included, though I think the film did fine without them. They’re here if you want/need them, though.
- Original Making-of Featurette – This is about as “vintage” as they come with some behind the scenes footage and a very young cast talk about how excited they are about the project.
- Music Video – “Man in Motion” by John Parr
- Theatrical Trailer
The Bottom Line
It took four decades, but I can now finally say that I’ve seen St. Elmo’s Fire. Yay. Yay? While not quite as poignant as some of the other “teen” films of the day, it did provide a good platform for some young, new talent (Demi Moore and Andie McDowell to name a few) as well as cement the status of “The Brat Pack.” Sony’s disc delivers the good with a pleasing picture, audio and a good sampling of supplements, though they’re all ones we’ve seen before.
