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St. Elmo's Fire

1985 · 108 min · Director: Joel Schumacher ★ IMDb 6.4 · 51,273 ratings

Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)

Seven friends - Alec, Billy, Jules, Kevin, Kirby, Leslie and Wendy - are trying to navigate through life and their friendships following college graduation. Alec, who aspires to political life, has just shown his true colors by changing his allegiance from Democrat to Republican, which freaks out girlfriend Leslie, who he wants to marry. Budding architect Leslie, on the other hand, has an independent streak. She believes she has to make a name for herself to find out who she is before she can truly commit to another person in marriage. But Leslie and Alec have decided to live together. Because Leslie refuses to marry Alec, he believes that justifies certain behavior. Kirby, who wants to become a lawyer and who pays for his schooling by working as a waiter at their local hangout called St. Elmo's Bar, and struggling writer Kevin are currently roommates. They are on opposite extremes of the romance spectrum. Kirby has just reconnected with Dale Biberman, a slightly older woman he knew in college who is now a doctor. He is madly in love with her and will do *anything* to impress her. Kevin, on the other hand, doesn't date and states he doesn't believe in love, making his friends speculate that he's a closet homosexual who is secretly in love with Alec. Kevin will eventually open himself up to the one friend who matters the most. Billy, married with a child, is the irresponsible one of the group who would rather sleep around and play the saxophone than face the realities of being an adult with family commitments. He still lives for the memory of his fraternity glory days. Virginal and sheltered Wendy, who comes from a wealthy family, works in a low paying social services job. Her family provides for all her financial needs. She is in love with Billy, who in turn takes advantage of her adoration of him. And most are concerned about Jules, who works in a bank, lives a life of excess in all facets and doesn't have the financial means to live that lifestyle. The question for all seven becomes whether their friendship can survive adult real life.

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Emotional fingerprint

St. Elmo's Fire (1985) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Nostalgia 30%, Empathy 25%, Melancholy 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure

  1. Humor15%
  2. Hope10%

AI estimate · no viewer votes yet

How we measure

AI estimate

Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.

Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.

Why it feels this way

The strongest emotional signals are Nostalgia, Empathy, Melancholy. Genres: Drama, Romance. AI estimate.

Is it worth watching?

Consider this title if you are looking for Nostalgia, Empathy and Melancholy. Its IMDb rating of 6.4/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 67/100.

How did it make you feel?

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Emotional journey

AI · from subtitles
  • Empathy
  • Sadness
  • Humor

Not enough subtitle evidence

No dominant emotion

Dominant emotion: Humor

Dominant emotion: Tension

Dominant emotion: Sadness

Dominant emotion: Love

Dominant emotion: Empathy

Empathy
Sadness
Humor
Emotional journey Emotional intensity over the film’s runtime, from quieter to stronger on a fixed 0–1 scale. Hatched intervals have insufficient subtitle evidence. The table provides the values.
Ending hidden

Dominant emotion

Intensity dips around 3 %, then rises around 53 %, then peaks around 88 %.Ending hidden

Emotional journey
%Approximate minuteDominant emotionOverall intensityEmpathySadnessHumor
2.5 %≈ 3′Humor37 %18 %10 %30 %
7.5 %≈ 8′Humor38 %16 %11 %35 %
12.5 %≈ 14′Humor38 %14 %11 %38 %
17.5 %≈ 19′Humor40 %14 %11 %40 %
22.5 %≈ 24′Humor41 %19 %16 %41 %
27.5 %≈ 30′Humor39 %26 %21 %36 %
32.5 %≈ 35′Humor43 %27 %20 %32 %
37.5 %≈ 41′Tension48 %23 %18 %35 %
42.5 %≈ 46′Humor43 %23 %18 %36 %
47.5 %≈ 51′Humor38 %26 %18 %31 %
52.5 %≈ 57′Sadness44 %30 %23 %25 %
57.5 %≈ 62′Tension57 %39 %31 %19 %
62.5 %≈ 68′Tension64 %45 %34 %15 %
67.5 %≈ 73′Love56 %39 %30 %16 %
72.5 %≈ 78′Tension49 %34 %33 %19 %
77.5 %≈ 84′Sadness53 %39 %40 %20 %
82.5 %≈ 89′Tension64 %50 %45 %18 %
87.5 %≈ 95′Empathy68 %59 %48 %15 %
92.5 %≈ 100′Empathy59 %53 %43 %21 %
97.5 %≈ 105′Love52 %43 %37 %32 %
Man in a hole

Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.

Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.

Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.

Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.

Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.

Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.

AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗

Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers

Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.

0 responses so far

Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.

Cast

Andrew McCarthy

Kevin Dolenz

Emilio Estevez

Kirby Keger

Rob Lowe

Billy Hicks

Judd Nelson

Alec Newbary

Ally Sheedy

Leslie Hunter

Mare Winningham

Wendy Beamish

Martin Balsam

Mr. Beamish

Andie MacDowell

Dale Biberman

JV
Joyce Van Patten

Mrs. Beamish

JW
Jenny Wright

Felicia

JC
Jon Cutler

Howie Krantz

ML
Matthew Laurance

Ron Dellasandro

GH
Gina Hecht

Judith

KL
Kaaren Lee

Welfare Woman

NM
Nora Meerbaum

Myra

DM
Don Moss

Maître d'

Details

Directed by
Joel Schumacher
Written by
Joel Schumacher, Carl Kurlander
Type
Movies
Released
1985
Runtime
108 min
Country
United States
Genres
Drama, Romance
Ratings
★ IMDb 6.4 · 51,273 ratings
Feels mostly
Nostalgia
Data updated

Where to watch

Data: JustWatch · Wikidata

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Emotion overlap shows mood similarity, not a prediction of enjoyment.