Jen and I watched St. Elmo’s Fire yesterday, before going out for some beers. She and I hadn’t seen each other in quite some time, so we sat on her couch, we blabbed our heads off, we caught up with each other … it was wonderful. Just wonderful. We began to surf through the TV and gasped, as one, when we saw that St. Elmo’s Fire was on.
That movie was so much a part of that specific and vaguely ridiculous cultural moment of my late teens. So we settled in, ecstatic, and watched St. Elmo’s Fire.
Jen knows the entire movie by heart. I was quite impressed.
I haven’t seen it in a while. I had forgotten some things.
— how cute Andrew McCarthy was in it. He has morphed into something not so cute, but he was at his cutest during St. Elmo’s Fire.
— Of course Judd Nelson, the most despicable character in the film, is a Republican. Of course. It’s shorthand for “asshole-prick who fucks every girl in town, and then comes home and makes his prissy anorexic girlfriend wear slutty lingerie in order to assuage his guilt”. All of that adds up to: Republican.
— The OUTFITS!!!! I mean, there’s almost too much to discuss. The flashbacks of my entire past! I’ll come back to that.
— Rob Lowe’s HAIR.
— The feeling I got from Ally Sheedy, Andrew McCarthy, and Judd Nelson, primarily, that this was their “segue” out of teen flicks. Watch the scene where Sheedy and McCarthy get drunk together before they fuck. And especially watch how they hold their glasses. It’s not like real people hold their glasses when they’re getting drunk. Their behavior explicitly telegraphs: “I USED TO BE IN TEENAGE MOVIES WHERE I COULDN’T DRINK. NOW I’M A GROWN-UP AND HOO-HOO-HOO – LOOK AT ME GETTING DRUNK!” They held their glasses of whiskey self-consciously and self-importantly. It is ridiculous.
— Again, I have just got to come back to the CLOTHES. Here are some of the items: skinny ties worn by the guys, socks pulled up over the hem of your jeans, enormous lace collars worn by the girls, flouncy glittery skirts (a la Cyndi Lauper), bracelets which stack themselves up all the way to the elbow – and then when Rob Lowe was playing his sax like a banshee in the club, he wore this skinny head-band. HA. The headband! Also, un-matching earrings. Or just one earring. And the earrings were ALWAYS of the dangly variety. There was a lot of pastels.
— One other thing: the annoying-ness of the clothes of Mare Winningham. Apparently, if you are a virgin, it also means that you have no access to fashion magazines. It means that if you are the last virgin in your group of friends, you must have a goofy page-ball haircut that cups your face like a mixing bowl, you must wear thick lumpy PINK sweaters, and long plain plaid skirts, with stockings that are thick and opaque. Virgins clearly don’t know how to dress. Everybody knows that. Also, you must wear THE MOST UNATTRACTIVE eyeglasses possible, eyeglasses that, put together with your long plain skirts, make you look like Gloria Steinem in a Mennonite colony.
Personal note:
When I saw this movie for the first time, in the movie theatre, I was the last virgin in my group of college friends. And although I very much related to Mare Winningham’s journey (I’ve always loved her acting), I was so MAD about her clothes. I took it personally. It seemed to say: Virgins don’t know about fashion.
So needless to say, Jen and I had an absolutely wonderful time, watching this movie, and strolling down memory lane.
There was some memorable commentary.
— I said at one point, “This movie is a PART of our generation!”
Jen agreed enthusiastically, “Oh, I related to every one of these characters.” (Ally Sheedy strolls by with this huge lace collar) Jen goes on: “I didn’t wear lace, but…”
— During the scene when Judd Nelson walks in on McCarthy and Sheedy having sex — he just stands there, looking at the two of them, forever … back, forth, back, forth, looking, looking, looking … before he turns and walks out.
Jen said, “You wouldn’t just stare at someone, though.”
I said, “If you were a soulless Republican, you would.”
— I randomly diagnosed Demi Moore with a mild case of TMJ.
— At the party scene (where Sheedy confronts Nelson about his “extra-curricular love life”) – Sheedy wore a black black dress with an absolutely enormous wide white-lace collar – coming down in a triangle, like a middy blouse almost. I took one look at her and began to sing.
“Climb every mountain … ford every stream…”
— Every time Mare Winningham appeared, I had to comment on her terrible old-lady clothes. “LOOK at her sweater.” “Oh my God, look at those STOCKINGS!” “Hello, with the terrible glasses.” “Can she LOOK any more goofy right now??”
Finally, I exclaimed, in righteous indignation, “I was a virgin, but I did NOT dress like an Amish woman!”
Final comment:
In terms of the “St. Elmo’s Fire” scene – with Demi Moore huddled in the empty red-walled room, with the blowing pale-blue curtains, and the huge doll-clown propped up against the wall … with Rob Lowe putting that flame up into the air …
There is such a cheesy element to that whole scene (what’s with the clown??) But still: After so many years, I remembered the whole thing almost word for word, image for image. There is something classic about it, something absurdly memorable.
Oh, and lastly: Ally Sheedy is an IDIOT for not going with Andrew McCarthy in the end, and for making the choice to find her “own life”, and trying to be by herself. Sorry. You’re an idiot. Love like that doesn’t visit twice. Believe me, sweetheart, I know.
“I was a virgin one…” HAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! Not me, no! I was BORN a sexually knowing woman! hee hee hee.
I love that movie too- a little embarrassing to watch, but love it still the same. That and “16 Candles”.
I know this is nearly inexcusable, especially for someone who so treasures The Breakfast Club as I do, but I’ve never seen St. Elmo’s Fire. I’ve probably meant to for a long time, but now I will make more of an effort to do so.
Then, since I’m a Republican but at least fairly sure I do have a soul (though Tallahassee may be slowly killing it), I can tell you how I would have reacted. ;-)
Dave J:
I hope you know I was being sarcastic with that whole Republican thing. Like – in the world of the movie – being a Republican was short-hand for being a prick.
You have to see the movie!!
oops, one more thing about the Republican thing:
Sort of like how in Reality Bites if you decide that you want to actually have a career and make money, you are “selling out”, in the lexicon of the movie.
Like a shorthand: Suit and tie = Soulless mindless zombie.
I am a souless Republican(is there any other kind?), but I don’t know about “every girl” in town. However, I do stare a lot. By the way, there is nothing sexier to us souless types than an Amish virgin.
Funny you should mention this movie Red, as my wife, saw St. Elmo’s Fire for the very first time the other night. I think she was stunned by the horrific fashion choices and unsurprisingly bad acting.
The question will always remain though: “Do you believe in casual sax?
Mare Winningham later released an album with herself fully nude on the cover; perhaps reflecting her sense of style as a former virgin. Who also presumably doesn’t drive a K-Car.
Regarding Judd Nelson’s reaction to the coupling: I wanted to give him the benefit of just being numb with shock, but given the character, I see he was: Reptilian, blank, cold … yep, Republican.
And as to Ally’s decision: sure, that kind of love is rare, but isn’t it also SCARY (all stalkerish implications aside)? And hadn’t she just come to a crossroads of reassessment of who she was with, and why?
So the proverbial Mr. Right may just have been Mr. At the Right Time, i.e. the cathartic catalyst, nothing more.
Parallel to all this: Emilio Estevez’ quixotic pursuit of Andie MacDowell. A weaker thread than the love triangle, sure … but also about the pursuit of something like true love, in another direction. Then Emilio saves face with some bullshit bravado.
Re ‘Metropolitan’ – Just St. Elmo’s Fire with some class struggle thrown in? Discuss.
(They both had offscreen stepmonsters … )
The “scary” love is the only worthwhile kind. You can be selfish and say “No” to the gift, because of fear, sure … I’ve done it. And I regret it still.
That’s all I’m sayin’. :)
Speaking of Mare Winningham: she was fantastic in Georgia (she was nominated for an Oscar) – and she had a cameo once on 6 Feet Under, where she played a psychic widow, who walked around the funeral home talking to her dead husband. She was great. There’s something really substantial about her acting – which is why she still has a pretty interesting career, I think.
About that “casual sax” … God. It is so damn funny watching Rob Lowe and his “band” jam it out in that pub … all sweaty … looking like a poor man’s Loverboy (which isn’t saying much) …
Oh, man. Classic!!
Looking like a poor man’s Loverboy
I was making a valiant effort at keeping my giggles suppressed, but that pushed me over the edge. The funny part was trying to explain the outburst to my twenty-something coworkers. First I had to explain who Loverboy was, then I had to explain that Rob Lowe was once a “serious” actor…and it all went downhill from there…
I think Loverboy was already a poor man’s version of something …
But damn, “everybody’s workin’ for the weekend” was great to roller-skate to on Friday nights in high school.
“I was a virgin, but I did NOT dress like an Amish woman!”
Sheila O’Malley takes a walk down memory lane, and it leads her to St. Elmo’s Fire. Oh…my…god the memories her post brought back! St. Elmo’s Fire is one of those films from my young adulthood that causes warm-fuzzies and painful
Regarding the Mare Winningham character… in watching the movie, you know exactly the underwear she’s wearing underneath those clothes, too… old-lady underwear to go with the old-lady clothes.
Ughhhh. Now I need to go clean myself. Sorry for introducing that image…
The Poor Man’s J. Geils Band, perhaps?
Roller skating on Friday nights! Aaaggghhhh…more memories suddenly unlocked! Was anything more painful than having Howard Jones’ “No One is to Blame” come on and have no one to skate with?
Someone needs to come up with a list of “songs that are intollerable anywhere BUT inside a skating rink…”
Okay, that’s my next post.
Thanks, Mr. Z.
I have many many many ideas.
Howard Jones!! bwahahahaha I used to actually have deeply introspective moments during “couples-skate” when that song would come on, and I would watch from the sidelines.
So embarrassing.
Mr. Z – we must be space-twins or something. Or maybe it’s just the collective bond of shame and nostalgia anyone who was a teenager in the 1980s feels.
Yeah, I was going to mention ‘Georgia,’ one of my favorites about the downside-of-show-business … Jennifer Jason Leigh has been quite fearless in her career, but Mare was wonderful as the title character too. She sang the HELL out of ‘Hard Times.’
We’re agreed on Scary Love. Bravery, even the foolhardy kind, is still a most commendable asset, especially in love (if John Patrick Shanley has taught me anything).
Nothing good comes without risk, eh?
NPIMH: image of Sheila rollerskating to Loverboy.
Now reading: ‘Nicholas Ray: An American Journey.’ He taught in Binghamton in his, um, Dixon Steele years. That just blows my mind.
I feel like a geek – what’s NPIMH? “New picture in my head” – something like that?
Oh my God, you have no idea the joy, the thrill – of whirling around the rink at Ocean Skate on Friday nights in high school – with friends Beth – Betsy – Mere – … all of us rocking out to:
“You wanna piece’a my hea-art
You wanna be in the show-ow
Come on baby, let’s GO!!” (cheesy guitar solo)
The feeling that ANYTHING could happen!! We could find love at Ocean Skate!! (Mere actually did find love – of a teenage sort – at Ocean Skate – which confirmed for us that it COULD happen!!)
I was a virgin, it is true, but I felt pretty cool and I did not wear old-lady underwear. Ever.
I’ve been watching my DVD box set of Magnum, P.I., and was struck once again by how much Larry Manetti (Magnum’s buddy Rick) looked like Loverboy lead singer Mike Reno. He also gave us the hideous duet “Almost Paradise” with Ann Wilson from “Footloose.” Other cringeworthy hit songs from that film were the Kenny Loggins title track, and “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” by Denice Williams. Not even “Flashdance” had a trifecta of awful songs like this. (Maybe “Top Gun” did, but it’s close.)
Now Playing in My Head…. NPIMH.
a variation on NP as a postscript to e-mails among music geeks. “NP” is the song or album Now Playing on your stereo, headphones, etc.
The Kid is Hot Tonight… good god, Loverboy.
I’d get involved in the roller rink jukebox survey but lack the time now…
Dan
Ok so I watch 80’s movies with a certain smugness- cause I’m older…..but I dug Better off Dead,and I watch Say Anything,and I dug the ending of Some Kind of Wonderful…..I’d be interested to see what happened to the characters from St. Elmo’s Fire….