St. Elmo's Fire

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St. Elmo's Fire is a 1985 film about seven friends who start to drift apart after graduating from Georgetown University in Washington DC.

Directed by Joel Schumacher, the movie stars Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy and Mare Winningham as the main characters. Andie MacDowell, Martin Balsam, Joyce Van Patten and Jenny Wright play supporting roles.

The film's theme song, "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)", performed by John Parr, was a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The film also contains an instrumental love theme by David Foster.

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Tropes used in St. Elmo's Fire include:

• All Girls Want Bad Boys: At least, Wendy does.
• All Love Is Unrequited: Well, some of it.
• Credit Card Plot: Played straight: Jules gets in serious trouble for her overspending habits and her liberal usage of several credit cards; she ends up having most of her stuff repossessed.
• Did Not Do the Research: St. Elmo's Fire is indeed a good omen for sailors... when it's burning at both ends of the ship. One fire is considered bad luck. Now notice that Billy doesn't hold up two lighters...
• Dogged Nice Guy: Howie
• Double Standard: Invoked while Leslie and Alec break up.

"You fucked Kevin." "You fucked many!" "Nameless, faceless many." "I feel much better now. Thanks."

• Gold Digger: How Jules perceives herself at times, especially in light of her sleeping with her boss.

"So, I bop him for a couple of years, get his job when he gets his hands caught in the vault, do a black mink ad, retire in utter disgrace, then write a best seller and be a fabulous host on my own talk show..."

• Hooker with a Heart of Gold: One of Kevin's friends is a hooker.
• Loads and Loads of Characters
• Lovable Sex Maniac: Jules is a deconstruction.
• Love Dodecahedron
• Meganekko: Wendy.
• Mistaken for Gay: Kevin.
• Sex as Rite-of-Passage: Happens to Wendy at the very end.
• Stalker with a Crush: Kirby, as far as med student Dale is concerned. He starts out seeing himself as a Dogged Nice Guy who just can't get a break. Later on, he, uh, embraces the truth.

"I'm obsessed, thank you very much."

• Strawman Political: Alec, who ditches his liberal viewpoint after graduation, becoming a heartless Republican who cheats repeatedly on his girlfriend.
• Troubled but Cute: Billy.
• Unconfessed Unemployment: Jules, after she's been fired.
• You Need to Get Laid: Wendy, according to at least one of the women she tries to help out as a social worker.
• Your Cheating Heart