Product Description
From Amazon.com
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
Chronique amazon.fr
Il y a les boîtes, et il y a eu le Studio 54. Emblème new-yorkais de la jet-set de la fin des années soixante-dix et night-club de tous les excès et de toutes les libertés, le Studio 54 a connu les heures de gloire de la disco, avant que les forces de l'ordre ne ferment ce qui avait tendance à devenir une plaque tournante du trafic de drogue et que la new wave ne prenne le relais dans les années quatre-vingt. Au- delà des interprétations, parfois étonnantes comme celle de Mike Myers en maître de cérémonie du Studio 54, c'est bien d'abord le lieu, ses démences, ses délires hallucinants et sa clientèle déréglée et/ou branchée (du cheikh milliardaire à la grand-mère sous acide) qui marquent le film. Le fait que Studio 54 ne soit qu'à moitié une fiction valorise ainsi largement un scénario à la trame et la facture par ailleurs assez classiques, qui n'est là, en fin de compte, que pour faire vivre le lieu mythique. --Ambroise Ecorcheville
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