‘St. Elmo’s Fire’ With Bill Simmons and Chris Ryan
July 7, 2020 · St. Elmo's Fire (1985) · Drama · Romance · 1:34:58 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Categories
Casting What-Ifs
Bill SimmonsTom Cruise — Mentions Cruz, C. Thomas Howell, and Timothy Hutton as people who weren't in the movie but were part of that generation who all knew each other and were partying together▶ 10:50
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill SimmonsSchumacher's quote about the film being about friendship groups splitting up, comparison to The Graduate, inspiration from Georgetown students, film announced in 1984 as 'little big chill', $38 million box office on $10 million budget, critical reviews including David Denby calling Schumacher 'brutally untalented' and Siskel & Ebert thumbs down▶ 27:44
Chris RyanCommentary on costume design reflecting characters' personalities and Joel Schumacher's career resilience despite critical failures▶ 28:43
Most Rewatchable Scene
Chris RyanBilly's big sax scene - 'Billy Hicks and the new breed' Halloween night performance▶ 37:23
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill SimmonsWhy does Schumacher have lengthy sax solo scenes in both this movie and The Lost Boys - is it a weird fetish of his?▶ 39:47
Chris RyanIs Billy actually a musician trying to make it professionally, or just playing casually?▶ 38:52
What's Aged the Best
Bill SimmonsJules as a character, the movie's exchanges/dialogue (especially 'moving up curbo'), and Alec and Leslie's apartment▶ 44:53
Chris RyanJules' rescue scene, all the apartments, Billy's humorous tie wearing, and the dialogue exchanges (especially 'forever got shorter')▶ 43:28
What's Aged the Worst
Bill SimmonsDale's understanding boyfriend at the ski house who is unrealistically accommodating to her stalker, and the unrealistic apartments for 22-year-olds▶ 54:57
Chris RyanKirby's entire plot and the focus on Wendy's family storyline instead of Jules as the main drama▶ 55:59
Apex Mountain
Bill SimmonsRob Lowe — Rob Lowe - About Last Night (1986); Judd Nelson - Yes (St. Elmo's Fire); Andrew McCarthy - Weekend at Bernie's or Mannequin; Demi Moore - No, suggests Striptease contract signing; Ally Sheedy - Yes; Emilio Estevez - No, Young Guns instead; John Parr - Yes; 1982 Jeep CJ7 - Yes; Georgetown - Yes (movie + Patrick Ewing title)▶ 1:09:12
Chris RyanDemi Moore — Generally agrees with SPEAKER_00's assessments, particularly on Demi Moore (Striptease contract as apex), discusses Georgetown basketball references missing from film▶ 1:10:49
Best Quote
Bill SimmonsYou break my heart, then again, you break everyone's heart - calls this the iconic quote▶ 1:15:57
Chris RyanI enjoy being afraid of Russia. It's a harmless fear but it makes America feel better. Russia gets an inflated sense of national worth from our paranoia▶ 1:16:42
Movies Referenced (27)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Troy (2004) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 51:30 |
| Batman (1989) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 26:29 |
| The Exorcist (1973) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 1:06:35 |
| A Time to Kill (1996) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 26:35 |
| Batman Forever (1995) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 26:29 |
| Pump Up the Volume (1990) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:05:04 |
| Halloween (1978) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 37:26 |
| Monty Python's the Meaning of Life (1983) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 37:09 |
| Smile (2022) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 31:13 |
| The Apartment (1960) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 36:58 |
| The Lost Boys (1987) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 26:08 |
| Top Gun (1986) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 41:03 |
Directors Referenced (9)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joel Schumacher | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 16 | Bill Simmons | The Phantom of the Opera, 8MM | ▶ 23:10 |
| John Hughes | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Uncle Buck, The Breakfast Club | ▶ 58:11 |
| Andrea Bias | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Black Adam, A Simple Favor, The Intern | ▶ 1:32:01 |
| Cameron Crowe | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire, Vanilla Sky | ▶ 58:11 |
| Jacob Hair | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:26:27 | |
| Lil Pump | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | Deadpool 2 | ▶ 1:22:39 |
| Sal Amato | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 1:00:44 | |
| Tom Brady | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Hot Chick | ▶ 1:15:46 |
| Woody Allen | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | Annie Hall | ▶ 1:11:45 |
Actors Referenced (57)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rob Lowe | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 28 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | St. Elmo's Fire | ▶ 3:49 |
| Judd Nelson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 17 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | The Breakfast Club, St. Elmo's Fire | ▶ 15:18 |
| Andrew McCarthy | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 16 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Pretty in Pink | ▶ 10:34 |
| Demi Moore | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 15 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Striptease, Indecent Proposal | ▶ 10:38 |
| Emilio Estevez | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 13 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | ▶ 12:46 | |
| Ally Sheedy | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | WarGames, The Breakfast Club | ▶ 11:53 |
| Mare Winningham | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons | St. Elmo's Fire | ▶ 34:28 |
| Billy Idol | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | The Wedding Singer, Speed | ▶ 1:12:40 |
| Mr. T | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | Rocky III | ▶ 22:04 |
| Patrick Ewing | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Space Jam, The Exorcist III | ▶ 1:10:42 |
| Abner Biberman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | His Girl Friday | ▶ 1:17:36 |
| Aretha Franklin | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | The Blues Brothers | ▶ 24:45 |
Writers Referenced (4)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Springsteen | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | The Wrestler, Philadelphia | ▶ 36:02 |
| Carl Kurlander | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | St. Elmo's Fire | ▶ 14:22 |
| Hunter S. Thompson | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 51:19 | |
| Jay McInerney | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | ▶ 46:33 |
Cinematographers Referenced (1)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Grantland | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Other Guys | ▶ 1:22:55 |