St. Elmo's Fire (1985)

Synopsis: Spoiled, self-absorbed young turds make the shocking discovery that life is tough.

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “Seven friends, recent college graduates, are searching for a place in ‘the real world’ as they face the issues of career and commitment.”

What Did I Learn?: The Brat Pack was pretty much lost without John Hughes.

You Might Like This Movie If: You’re a fan of children’s television and you somehow mishear the title.

Really?: 1) Was it ever that easy for a Democratic congressional staffers to jump ship and work for a Republican Senator in the 1980s? Wouldn’t Judd Nelson have burned a whole bunch of bridges by making such a jump? 2) Why would the Korean lobbyist dude hire another one of Nelson’s buddies as his personal assistant after he caught the first one romancing some chick in his luxury townhouse?

Rating: Yeesh. What a pile of pretentious crap. While I generally seek out character-driven films, St. Elmo’s Fire is a poor example of this genre for the simple reasons that: a) the characters aren’t well-defined, and the seven of them seem more like several variations of two or three people, and b) none of them are the least bit likeable – heck, these kids are obnoxious. When Demi Moore has her big mental breakdown/attempted suicide scene, I simply didn’t give a shit. I cannot recommend this movie. 4/10 stars.

Would it Work For a Bad Movie Night?: I don’t think so.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090060/