54
by Mark Christopher
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Mike Myers, Neve Campbell, Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, Sela WardDirector: Mark Christopher
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Letterbox, 1.85:1
Running Time: 93 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-08-17
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Miramax
Movie Reviews of 54
Movie Review: All That Glitters Is Gritty
Summary: 4 Stars
I grew up in the Seventies but the Studio 54 mentality kind of flew under my radar. Now if you're talking about another famed New York nightspot, CBGB, you're talking my language. Regardless, I found "54" eminently intriguing and watchable. The film is not so much a celebration of the nightlife but rues the decay that ended the party. Makes you wonder if the makers of the film were partisans or foes of the disco lifestyle. Ryan Phillippe is quite good as Shane, a working-class Jersey kid, who is seduced by the artifice of easy sex and drugs that 54 offered. The performance that is a real eye opener is Mike Myers as owner Steve Rubell. This is probably the best work Myers has ever done onscreen. His Rubell can best be described as a decadent ringmaster who uses hedonism to orchestrate his debauched circus. Studio 54 is a mere footnote in the culture but this is a good film.
Summary of 54
Hot Hollywood stars Mike Myers (AUSTIN POWERS 2: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME, WAYNE'S WORLD), Neve Campbell (WILD THINGS, SCREAM 1,2&3), and Salma Hayek (WILD, WILD WEST, DOGMA) give must-see performances in this provocative look behind the bright lights of the hottest nightclub ever! When Steve Rubell (Myers), the mastermind behind New York's infamous STUDIO 54 disco, plucks young Shane O'Shea (Ryan Phillippe, GOSFORD PARK, CRUEL INTENTIONS) from the sea of faces clamoring to get inside his club, Shane not only gets his foot in the door ... but lands a coveted job behind the bar! By following Shane's rapid rise from naive busboy to the notorious nightspot's sexy main attraction, you're allowed an unforgettable look at the spectacular rise and fall of Steve Rubell's decadent empire! An entertaining hit that pulses with the best dance music of the era, 54 is not just your ticket inside this legendary place ... it places you at the very epicenter of the greatest party on Earth!Saturday Night Fever it's not--call it more like Sunday Morning Leftovers. This portrait of the legendary Manhattan disco and its colorful cofounder, Steve Rubell, plays like the outtakes of a much more interesting film--where's the sex, the drugs, the classic disco music? (It shouldn't surprise viewers that Miramax and writer-director Mark Christopher had a falling-out over the final cut of the film; Miramax prevailed.) Considering that the essence of Studio?54 was about the rich and beautiful, it seems a bit unwise to focus on the poor and only-somewhat-beautiful, namely Shane (Ryan Phillippe), a Jersey boy who gets taken in by the razzle-dazzle of the disco era. Crossing the river, Shane finds another, more exciting life at Studio?54 as a shirtless bartender, and soon finds himself partying with the cr?me de la cr?me--and smitten with comely soap star Julie (Neve Campbell). The permutations of the story are familiar; if you've never seen VH1's Behind the Music documentary take on Studio?54 you'll find this film enjoyable, but unlike that exhaustive portrait, too many elements are missing. Most of Phillippe's performance seems to have ended up on the cutting-room floor (although his chiseled torso gets maximum exposure), Campbell's role is basically a glorified cameo, and Breckin Meyer and Salma Hayek, as Phillippe's only true pals, are wasted. The one true gem of the film, though, is Mike Myers's take on the late Steve Rubell, an inspired high-wire performance that balances humor and tragedy without ever giving in to camp or pathos. Had this been a more well-received movie, he'd be remembered come Oscar time--his drunken proposition of Philippe is a minor treasure. The soundtrack does feature some unknown chestnuts and a few new remixes, including an inspired disco version of--believe it or not--Gordon Lightfoot's "If You Could Read My Mind." --Mark Englehart
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