Why wasn't Molly Ringwald in St. Elmo's Fire?

Is she bitter about it? Has she ever gotten over it?

• She was too young?

• She was 16 or 17 when the movie came out, younger when it was made. Molly is a good 5 or 6 years younger than Ally Sheedy.

• Because I was a better actress.

  Mare%20Winningham

• Beacause, OP, she was too young, and she was busy making "Pretty In Pink" and "Surviving". Her dance card was not barren.

• The Breakfast Club was made the same year and had almost the same cast.

• Ringwald could have played Ally Sheedy's part in "SEF." she looked old enough.

• Wouldn't do anal.

  Ally%20%22Anal%22%20Sheedy

• She was busy filming Pretty in Pink with Andrew McCarthy, it took longer to film, because of the changes on the ending,

• John Hughes didn't direct "St. Elmo's Fire."

• Oh who cares, OP?

  R.%20Lowe%20

• She did one that's almost better, "For Keeps" with Randall Batinkoff ("The Billionaire Boys Club"). She's good in it. Love "St. Elmo's", the commentary with Joel Schmuckraker is very good.

• "The other night I woke up and went to the kitchen and made myself a peanut butter sandwich! It was my refrigerator, my bread, my jam, it was the best peanut butter sandwich I'd ever had!"

  embarrassing speech by Mare

• Too ugly. She looked like a typical smelly ginger back then. Orange pubes.

• Love the smell of ginger guy's pubes.

• She was the Teen Queen, not part of the Brat Pack.

• Why wasn't Demi in The Breakfast Club?

• Demi wasn't in The Breakfast Club.

• [quote]Why wasn't Demi in The Breakfast Club? She was busy working on St. Elmo's Fire.

• I think she was fortunate that she skipped that film. I never liked that movie. As a matter of fact, I thought it was the worst movie I saw in 1985 (and I saw quite a few movies that year).

  Herbert West, Re-Animator

• My favorite guilty pleasure movie. I always stop and watch at least 20 minutes when I flick to it. It would not have been improved upon by adding the presence of Molly Ringwald. I wouldn't have wanted her portraying Jules' breakdown, Leslie's breakup with Alec, or Wendy's obsession with Billy, because the actors were just so darned perfect.

• Love the movie and yes, Molly was too young could not pull-off the post college Georgetown sophisticate.

• Yet another 1980s thread.

• R22: yet another whiny, pussified douchebag.

• Just for that remark, I'm gonna start eight more 1980s threads, Missy! That'll learn ya!

  Rubik S. Cube, Yuppie

• [quote] She was the Teen Queen, not part of the Brat Pack. She absolutely was part of the Brat Pack.

• howl, R12 stole my answer. Just watched it again, love Mare but, man, is that speech awful. Almost as bad as Rob Lowe's faux suffering, his mouth tensing... 'I'll change." The whole movie is a hoot now, watch it and laugh. Ally Sheedy at her most annoying, Andie McDowell reading her lines phonetically ("He'll. Freeze."), Judd Nelson's flaring nostrils and a period after every word ("What... did... Kevin... tell... you.") And the worst gay neighbor character in film history, complete with perfect daiquiri and strawberry on rim. And don't forget Howie... so uncool because he owns, gasp, a greeting card company. Hopefully he bought and sold the other characters after a few years (he was even cute... they just put glasses on him so he'd be, horrors, not Billy/Rob Lowe). Loved it when I was 25 though. Cringe.

• Let's rock!!!

  Rob Lowe, on the sax

• The bar in this and "About Last Night" (w/Demi, Rob)look the same. There are similarities in the two films.

• Love the art direction in the apartments, the pink neon Billy Idol poster and the Nike runner fresco on the wall.

• "gonna be a man in motion, all's I need is a pair of wheels, take me where the music's playing, St. Elmo's Fire!"

  John Parr, wailing on the soundtrack

• This would be funny as a stage show spoof!

• "I saw this gorgeous, long haired girl walking down the hall. She had been auditioning for something else and I thought 'She's Jules'! Followed her out to the parking lot and she jumped on her motorcycle, I stopped her and asked if she had done any acting. She said she was on "General Hospital."

  Joel, describing his first encounter with Demi

• I doubt she is that upset about it. I saw recently and it has not aged well.

• St. Elmo's Fire was the best movie of 1985, which was one of the GREATEST for movies. TEN BEST MOVIES OF 1985 1. St. Elmo's Fire 2. Out of Africa 3. Clue 4. Mask 5. Sweet Dreams 6. Lust in the Dust 7. Agnes of God 8. A Chorus Line 9. White Nights 10. Secret Admirer There will never be another year like it.

• LOL R34. I hope you're kidding. My Top Ten Movies of 1985 would look totally different. 1. Back To The Future 2. To Live And Die In L.A. 3. Prizzi's Honor 4. Pale Rider 5. Silverado 6. Brazil 7. The Breakfast Club 8. Return Of The Living Dead 9. Re-Animator 10. Runaway Train That's just me, though.

  Stephen

• Don't try to draw her here OP. After she reads the fantasy about Rupert Grint, she will file rape charges against you.

• Loved "Reanimator" at the Waverly when I saw it, but rented it recently and couldn't even get through it. Maybe I don't like gore anymore.

• R34 and R35 Hello! "The Color Purple"?, "Witness"?, "The Goonies"? Fucking HELLO!!!!!

  Movie Buff

• R38 The Color Purple was good. I just can't watch anything with that fat, phony Okra Winfrey in it. I loathe that bitch.

  R.O.

• Nicknamed "The Little Chill"

• We really doubt that Ms. Ringwald cries herself to sleep at night over not being in that dreadful movie. Sorry, but them's just the facts of life.

  Blair, Natalie and Pootie

• Gawd. What a hideous movie. I thought it was a really awful film. One of the worst of the 1980s.

• The Breakfast Club was better.

• lol r27

• [quote]Why wasn't Demi in The Breakfast Club? Because she was busy doing "No Small Affair" with Molly's future co-star, Jon Cryer.

  http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xzXgRRVn3fM/TZy-hzr_cLI/AAAAAAAAALQ/hQcftAVZapI/s1600/no_small_affair_xlg.jpg

• Emilio's thick, juicy thighs make me drool in this scene, beginning at the 1:17 mark...

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T34tr2K-bIc

• [quote]The bar in this and "About Last Night" (w/Demi, Rob)look the same. There are similarities in the two films. The interiors of the St. Elmo's Fire bar were built on a soundstage in LA.

• I love how all of those movies back in the '80s had the same actors in them. "Class", "About Last Night...", "Sixteen Candles", "The Breakfast Club", "Pretty In Pink", "Weird Science", "Blue City", "St. Elmo's Fire", "Wisdom", "The Outsiders", "No Small Affair"...it's like the same cast, give or take a few, in all of those movies.

• R48, that's why they were dubbed The Brat Pack.

• They were actually dubbed "The Brat Pack" because of two movies--The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo's Fire. The term was coined in a 1985 New York magazine article, and it's now usually described as the cast members of those two movies, although sometimes other actors are included. The "core" members are Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy.

• "Let's rock!" and the peanut butter sandwich monologue are in a fight to the death for the most cringe-worthy St. Elmo moment.

• [quote]"Let's rock!" and the peanut butter sandwich monologue are in a fight to the death for the most cringe-worthy St. Elmo moment I dunno. That scene where Jenny Wright open-mouth kisses Rob Lowe with the bloody nose always skeeved me out.

• The "Ooglabooga-Booga-Booga Ah-Ah-Ah" chant provides the most cringeworthy moments for me.

• Just reading R53s post sent a shiver down my spine. So stupid, so dishonest, makes the characters look like they just met at a ballgame. And it's the last sound/line of the movie so we get to take that home with us.

• And yet, R54, every time I click upon it on TV, I am helpless not to stop and take a look.

• Yeah, I know, it may suck but it's "our" suck. P.S. One reason I despise Ally Sheedy, besides the fact that she was the worst actress alive back then, was her reaction to the Rob Lowe video scandal where he was taped with 2 underaged girls. They were in Atlanta for the Democratic National Convention and Ally blamed that for his poor judgement "because, like, in L.A., people are used to movie stars but in Atlanta, they were staring and throwing themselves at us" or whatever the fuck. Ally, you can certainly walk down the street in ATL now and not worry about anyone recognizing you. Now go puke up dinner.

• Seriously, R56, you really care about Rob Lowe's 198-whenever sex tape? Still?

• Gotta take me higher and higher St Homo's Fire...

• Mare Winningham was pregnant during the filming of St. Elmos In the music video she is holding a coat in front of her stomach to hide the pregnancy.

• Was it Billy's baby, R59?

• She sure was, R59. You can tell, because she looks "stuffed" and padded throughout the entire film. Speaking of the St. Elmo's Fire cast, does anyone remember the fabulous Anna Maria Horsford, aka Thelma from the sitcom "Amen", as the hooker who was also convinced that Andrew McCarthy's character was gay?

  http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.98731.1314089895!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/gallery_635/gal-watn-anna-maria-horsford-jpg.jpg

• Honey at R57, let me explain implication -- if something has past tense in it, perhaps it means I felt that way back then. Or, if you prefer, I sit at home smoldering over how unfair they were treated by the media and am still waiting for Rob to get an apology. You must be a lot of fun at parties. Off to one myself, ta ta.

  one%20moron%20on%20every%20board%20-%20the%20DL%20guarantee

• ABC is developing a TV version of the movie as a series.

• I'm convinced Andrew McCarthy's character was gay, JANBOT.

• R62, don't mind R57. He's over in the JT Suit and Tie thread freaking out over people who think of Justin as anything less than a deity.

• He could be my little G-d, Janbot.

• the son she was pregnant with killed himself in 2005. tragic

• [quote]"Let's rock!" and the peanut butter sandwich monologue are in a fight to the death for the most cringe-worthy St. Elmo moment. and "You're not going to believe . . . how out of hand . . . it's going to be!"

• Coming soon to a theater new you.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DY46Sw1BUHPs

• Heard St. Elmo's Fire theme song at Dunkin' Donuts this weekend after reading and contributing to this thread! Surprisingly rousing and a bit Phil Collins-ish. Complete departure from his harder rocking first hit "Naughty Naughty", which sounds more like Def Leppard or Billy Squier.

• The fact that Molly wasn't in "St. Elmo's Fire" has caused me countless sleepless nights and has thrown me into at least eighteen manic depressive episodes over the 28 years since. Those episodes have lasted anywhere from 2 days to 2 months. I have been to numerous psychologists and still I suffer. Molly...WHY???? Why couldn't you have just been in this fucking movie???? For the love of GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Mr. Morose

• [quote]Heard St. Elmo's Fire theme song at Dunkin' Donuts this weekend after reading and contributing to this thread! Surprisingly rousing and a bit Phil Collins-ish. Complete departure from his harder rocking first hit "Naughty Naughty", which sounds more like Def Leppard or Billy Squier For a second I thought you meant the David Foster love theme.

• Isn't the David Foster love theme the St. Elmo's Fire theme song, Janbot? It is for me.

• You are literally haunting me, R73. It was funny at first, but now...not so much.

• Bummer, R74. I had just finished reading some other hater's screed on the "Suit & Tie" thread, and trollbotted you. It's off now. I wouldn't have known you were R74 if you hadn't told me. Anyway, are you going to Tarzhay early tomorrow? I'm going to be the first person in the store. I'm so excited.

• The only people I know of who liked this movie were the same age (or the same mental age) as the characters when they saw it, and they loved it because they envied the lives of the characters and wished they too could be part of a clique of carefree, well-off, self-absorbed morons. The critic David Denby called the director Joel Schumacher brutally untalented" and said "nobody over the moral age of fifteen" will like the film": "St. Elmo's Fire isn't drama, it's gossip, and peculiarly early-adolescent gossip— a movie designed to be picked apart on the telephone. The turbidly self-important treatment of these vacuous college graduates, each one a 'type', is like a TV sitcom without jokes. St. Elmo's Fire is so depressing a portent of Hollywood's teen sycophancy because it not only devotes itself to stupid kids, it accepts their view of the world without any real criticism....The sole survivor of the general disaster is Ally Sheedy, who manages to make something charming out of the yup petulance."

• I've never seen the entire movie, yet Winningham always struck me as being terribly miscast among those seven.

• How so R77?

• She looked so much older than the rest and seemed rather dull in personality. If I'm not mistaken, that was her character (the steady, responsible one); however, physically she looked like a much older sibling or young mother than a cohort. I know that she was pregnant during filming, and I wonder if that contributed to her affect. My bias concerns her physically fitting in with the others, rather than her acting (for which I know she's been celebrated).

  R77

• Molly as Wendy, R79 R78 R77?

• WTF are you going on about, R80? R78 and I are discussing Mare Winningham.

  R77/79

• I am "going on," R81/R77/R79, about the fact that you found Mare Winningham unacceptable in the role of Wendy, juxtaposing that idea with the actual thread title, "Why Wasn't Molly Ringwald in St. Elmo's Fire." Like, maybe she would have been a better actor in the role. You must do well in things that require reading comprehension. When you got 1000 on your SATs, did you ask the College Board what they were "going on about"? And I can just imagine having an actual conversation with you.

• The conversation about Mare was a detour from that of Molly. A detour. Understood? Have a lovely evening. Kisses.

  R70-somethings

• Well excuse the fuck out of me, R83, for butting in on your "detour." I wish we used names here so I could butt out on you permanently.

• Come on fellas, can't we all just get along and talk about me? I really need the ink.

  Molly%20Ringwald

• Molly's had abetter career than most if the people we've been talking about.

• Not really a high bench mark there r86

• For the record, I believe it was one under aged girl, not two. And the sex tape was of rob and another guy with a girl.

• Mare looked the same age, she was supposed to be the more wise, mature type. She recently co-starred with Ellen Burstyn on Broadway in "Picnic" - it wasn't a success, already closed and replaced by "The Big Knife."

• Mare was in Paul Simon's One Trick Pony five years before SEF playing a waitress the Simon character hooks up with. She sings a little of Me and Bobby McGee while partially naked in a bathtub.

• Christ, St. Elmo's Fire was dismal. It appealed primarily to people who wanted to see themselves in a bunch of privileged assholes. Also, the worst, most nonsensical "original" soundtrack song of the decade.

• [quote] Molly's had abetter career than most if the people we've been talking about. Mare has had the better career than all of them, including Molly. She is a two-time Emmy award winning actress, Oscar nominee. Off the top of my head, none of the brat packers have ever scored an Oscar nomination, nor an Emmy.

• Molly's consistently worked. She also has written critically well received books. And now, an album of jazz music.

• I've never heard of Molly Ringwald or St. Elmo's fire. I googled both and still I am perplexed. Guess it was before my time (I'm 21).

• well at least you googled them, r94, that's more than the self-absorbed brats in my office would do.

• To the people saying what a piece of shit this movie is, we know it's not good, but it's entertaining in its awfulness, it plays camp nowadays.

• Someone should start a thread on Schmuckraker's other bad 80s youth film "The Lost Boys." I would, but I'm no longer a paying member.

• And you just had to post that fact r94?

  27%20year%20old

• Even more importantly... Why wasn't Heath Ledger in St. Elmo's Fire?!?

  Jake Gyllenhaal

• Question of the century r99

• Do they smell like copper, R14?

• R99 LOL

• I heard she was too "gummy" so she didn't get the part.

• [quote]Schmuckraker's other bad 80s youth film "The Lost Boys." You should be strung up for this comment.

• Ha r101

• "ABC is developing a TV version of the movie as a series" I wouldn't hold my breath. According to Wikipidia: In August 2009, Sony Pictures Television received a "script commitment with a penalty attached to it" to adapt the film into a television series which would "use the movie as a takeoff point and as an inspiration as it introduces six new friends: three boys and three girls. Topher Grace and Gordon Kaywin of Sargent Hall Productions proposed the idea to Jamie Tarses; the three of them then recruited Dan Bucatinsky to write the pilot and got Schumacher to agree to the idea. As of August 2012, there has been no further news, though Grace and Kaywin later saw the 2011 release of Take Me Home Tonight, a comedy film set in the mid-1980s whose principal photography had been completed in 2007.

• The Lost Boys was a fun film. I saw it twice in the movie theater. The two Coreys were hilarious and Gertz & Sutherland were in their prime.

• I AM the same age as the characters in that film and I DID love it when I saw it back then. Yes, I romanticized their lives. Yes, I knew it was drek. Yes, I knew it would become camp at some point. But the dreamer in me, and the romantic in me did want to have THEIR problems because, you see, they didn't seem like real problems at all. One could afford all that angst when one was young and beautiful. And we were all young and beautiful then. So, I see it for the awfulness of the movie BUT through rose colored nostalgia glasses. Never again would Demi be so......Demi. Sitting in that perfectly appointed 80's (freezing) apartment with the curtains billowing. Hating her stepmonster. Wearing those fabulously tacky 80's fashions. Never again would Andrew McCarthy be so adorable, so ambiguously gay. Never would Rob Lowe be so pretty and unconvincingly playing a bad boy. And so forth. This movie was these young actors' moment in the sun. And represents a moment in the lives of the viewers who WERE around their age. It's awful, it's campy, it's bad but it's oh, so good, too. It can be all those things.

• I heard that Molly was so depressed about not getting a role that she sat on her living room floor for days, cranked up the air conditioner, and rocked herself gently back and forth...

  Jules, about to do a line of coke

• Was Demi Moore's character actually trying to kill herself when she opened the curtains and all the windows? Talk about taking the long way.

• "Was Demi Moore's character actually trying to kill herself when she opened the curtains and all the windows? Talk about taking the long way." Apparently she was trying to freeze to death by wearing a filmy nightgown (or whatever it was she was wearing) and opening the windows when it was cold outside. The writer who thought that up must have been coked out of his mind when he wrote it, because it's one of the stupidest things I've ever seen in a movie.