Someone has called this the ultimate Brat Pack movie and while I gladly will accept all nominations for rivals, this will do until someone suggests a better one.

St. Elmo's Fire centers on the lives and loves of seven 20 something college graduates from the Georgetown, Maryland suburb of Washington, DC. They're all starting out with careers of some kind, but they're also looking for THE career move and the move to a real life partner.

They run quite a gamut from Judd Nelson an aide to a Congressman to Rob Lowe who bounces from job to job and who really just wants to play his saxophone. The women are an assorted lot as well from hedonistic Demi Moore to virginal Mare Winningham with Ally Sheedy in the middle.

We can't forget Emilio Estevez as the law student who works at St. Elmo's bar where they all hang out and Andrew McCarthy the cynical writer who's about to become a victim of what he doesn't believe in, committed love. Except for Winningham, they seem to have all hooked up with each other at one time or other and she's saving herself for the irresponsible Lowe. When you see the stiff her rich parents, Martin Balsam and Joyce Van Patten, are trying to set her up with, you can't really blame her.

There's no real plot to St. Elmo's Fire, but the film is a character study of the young folk of the Eighties, at least the young white folk of the Eighties. It might have been nice to have included a minority or two in the cast. Still the characters do have a certain charm and you do care about what's to become of them. Best performances in the film are Rob Lowe for the men and Demi Moore for the women. They also have the showiest roles.

As sociological study of the young urban professional of the time, you can't beat St. Elmo's Fire. Not bad in the entertainment department either.

Seven friends are just out of college. Billy Hicks (Rob Lowe) is sax playing hard partying irresponsible mess with a baby. Wendy Beamish (Mare Winningham) is a social worker from a wealthy family in love with Billy who keeps covering for him. Kirby Keger (Emilio Estevez) is studying the law and chasing older doctor Dale Biberman (Andie MacDowell). Alec Newbary (Judd Nelson) is a political animal living with girlfriend Leslie Hunter (Ally Sheedy). They're the perfect couple of the group. Kevin Dolenz (Andrew McCarthy) is a writer and never in a relationship which leaves some speculating that he's gay. Then there is Jules (Demi Moore) who lives vastly beyond her means. Everybody hangs out at a local hangout called St. Elmo's Bar.

It's soapy. It's cheesy. It's a lot of white people problems. These are privileged self-obsessed characters trying to grow up. Certainly there is a lot of trash talked about of these actors. Besides the stigma of being called 'The Brat Pack', these are some of the best actors of their generation. The story is a jumble of melodrama. The preppy style is terribly dated but it remains a cultural milepost. Let's face it. A sweaty Rob Lowe playing the sax is cheesetastic.

Maybe it's my age showing, or my lack of a nostalgic sense of the Eighties, but this film only serves as a reminder of how much society has come to foster the entitlement mentality of the Me Generation. Granted, there are individuals in real life that resemble the characters here, but I believe I'm fortunate enough not to know any of them personally; and if faced with the opportunity I would have to respectfully decline. Self absorbed egotists like Billy (Rob Lowe) and Alec (Judd Nelson) are not the kind of guys I'd welcome as friends, and no matter how you spin Demi Moore's character, she's the kind of person that's eventually heading for a major downfall in life. The character I could almost relate to was Wendy (Mare Winningham),struggling to find her own way in friendships and career choice, but then she disrespected herself at the finale by granting Billy the favor of a going away present.

The only positive spin I can put on this is that the players were capable enough as actors to give me such a negative reaction. Beyond that, I can only wonder why college graduates would willingly put themselves through this type of self induced trauma in the name of finding themselves. There are classier and more noble ways to do it than being complete jerks about it. On that score, this might be the picture that singularly resulted in it's players being nicknamed the Brat Pack.