John Travolta broke away from tv and into film by playing a young dancer from Brooklyn. Following "Saturday Night Fever," Travolta became one of Hollywood's biggest stars, even during his dry patch in the 80s.
Travolta play Tony Manero. Not even twenty-years-old, Tony always looks forward to hanging out with his friends and going to the "2001 Odyssey"--the hottest disco joint in town. Tony works at a paint store, which he doesn't mind, but he always tries to dodge his low-class family. Tony is aimless and doesn't really have an outlook on life except to dance in the disco whenever he gets the chance.
The family and romance stuff is where the movie makes an effort to become more than just a dance flick. Tony's father has been unemployed for months, and his seemingly perfect older brother just quit the priesthood. The whole Italian family from New York has been done and it is passable here, but nothing huge.
Tony meets a serious dancer named Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney). The romance isn't too bad, but Tony is very selfish and immature, so it's hard to fully invest time in it. There isn't as much chemistry as you would hope for. She's serious, he isn't, and it just stays that way.
"Saturday Night Fever" will forever be best remembered for its musical element. The legendary opening features John Travolta walking through the streets of Brooklyn while 'Stayin' Alive' by the Bee Gees are playing. Countless other disco songs play while they are at the nightclub and the dancing becomes alive. I am no dancer, but the scenes at the club are extraordinarily made. The lights and the cameras are all very impressive. And as a non-dancer, I can assure you the dancing is good too.
To me, "Saturday Night Fever" will never be a great film. Everything gets stuck in arrested development which is a huge blow. Also, the movie simply feels much longer that it actually is. The movie is two hours, but it feels more like four hours of non-compelling stuff. I love long movies, only if I am fully sucked into their world and am having a great time. Because "Saturday Night Fever" has so many flaws to begin with, the length that feels stretched doesn't feel fine.
Disco is a dead musical genre. The hottest in the 70s, but that's it. But literally no other movie captures this genre better. This is a times capsule of an entire decade. The music, the style, and the star of a generation.
3/4.
Travolta play Tony Manero. Not even twenty-years-old, Tony always looks forward to hanging out with his friends and going to the "2001 Odyssey"--the hottest disco joint in town. Tony works at a paint store, which he doesn't mind, but he always tries to dodge his low-class family. Tony is aimless and doesn't really have an outlook on life except to dance in the disco whenever he gets the chance.
The family and romance stuff is where the movie makes an effort to become more than just a dance flick. Tony's father has been unemployed for months, and his seemingly perfect older brother just quit the priesthood. The whole Italian family from New York has been done and it is passable here, but nothing huge.
Tony meets a serious dancer named Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney). The romance isn't too bad, but Tony is very selfish and immature, so it's hard to fully invest time in it. There isn't as much chemistry as you would hope for. She's serious, he isn't, and it just stays that way.
"Saturday Night Fever" will forever be best remembered for its musical element. The legendary opening features John Travolta walking through the streets of Brooklyn while 'Stayin' Alive' by the Bee Gees are playing. Countless other disco songs play while they are at the nightclub and the dancing becomes alive. I am no dancer, but the scenes at the club are extraordinarily made. The lights and the cameras are all very impressive. And as a non-dancer, I can assure you the dancing is good too.
To me, "Saturday Night Fever" will never be a great film. Everything gets stuck in arrested development which is a huge blow. Also, the movie simply feels much longer that it actually is. The movie is two hours, but it feels more like four hours of non-compelling stuff. I love long movies, only if I am fully sucked into their world and am having a great time. Because "Saturday Night Fever" has so many flaws to begin with, the length that feels stretched doesn't feel fine.
Disco is a dead musical genre. The hottest in the 70s, but that's it. But literally no other movie captures this genre better. This is a times capsule of an entire decade. The music, the style, and the star of a generation.
3/4.