54

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 crème de la crème--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

Movie Details

Cast: Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, Neve Campbell, Mike Myers, Sela Ward, Breckin Meyer, Sherry Stringfield, Ellen Albertini Dow, Cameron Mathison, Noam Jenkins, Jay Goede, Patrick Taylor, Heather Matarazzo, Skipp Sudduth, Aemilia Robinson, Daniel Lapaine, Erika Alexander, Thelma Houston, Mary Griffin, Don Carrier, Domenick Lombardozzi, Mark Ruffalo
MPAA Rating: R
Running time: 93 min
DVD Aspect Ratios: 1.85:1

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DVD Features:

• Color
• Closed-captioned
• Widescreen

International rating:

Europe: 15
Australia: M

DVD International release dates:
North America: Sep 2, 03

VHS International release dates:
North America: Aug 17, 99