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54Rating:
Release Date: 02 September, 2003 Retail Price: $9.99 OUR Price: $7.99 You SAVE: $2.00! Cast: Complete Cast (13 total) |
54 Reviews
The Story of the World's Most Famous Disco
In the mid to late 1970s, disco music was king and everyone enjoyed going to the clubs and dancing the night away. In this story of New York's world-famous Studio 54, the story is told through the eyes of Shane O'Shea (Ryan Phillippe), a young man from New Jersey who manages to get onto the guest list and into the very exclusive club. A gas station attendant by day, Shane soon finds himself as one of the regulars and manages to secure himself a job at the club as a bus boy/bartender.
Shane befriends two of the club's workers, Greg Randazzo (Brechin Meyer) and his wife Anita (Salma Hayek). They invite Shane to move in to their apartment, but Greg soon suspects that Shane and Anita are having an affair. Shane actually has fallen for Julie Black (Neve Campbell), another regular. A soap opera star, Shane is intrigued by her beauty and is immediately drawn to her. After a while, the two begin a relationship.
Meanwhile, Steve Rubell, played magnificently by Mike Myers, has been laundering money from the club. Each night, he sends bags full of money out with the trash to be picked up and taken away, out of sight of the I.R.S. This scam goes on for quite some time until finally the I.R.S. finds out about Rubell's operation and raids the club.
Shane, spurned in the end by Julie, eventually leaves 54 to become a college student and restaurant manager. Steve Rubell is sentenced to 18 months in prison and is forced to sell 54 in a plea agreement. He is allowed to remain as a "consultant" to the new ownership, and he also throws a big party at the club's re-opening, attended by Shane, Greg, and Anita.
Studio 54 was indeed the king of the discos. Celebrities from all over the world, including Andy Warhol and Truman Capote, were regular visitors to the club. The music was loud, and sex and drugs were freely available. Unfortunately, 54 never really regained its prominence after its re-opening, and it closed down for good in 1986. Steve Rubell died in 1989 at age 45.
This movie does an excellent job of showcasing the very famous club, right down to the throngs of people who begged to get in each night. The acting in the film is very good, but Mike Myers stands out above the rest. His superb portrayal of the eccentric but troubled Steve Rubell is the highlight of the film.
Having grown up in the 70s, I remember reading about Studio 54 and what a fantastic place it was. This movie shows both the bright and dark sides of the famous disco. I recommend this movie highly. If you're a child of the 70s like me, then you'll remember the disco music and the almost surreal essence that 54 had. Watch this movie and enjoy a trip back to when disco ruled and 54 was the place everyone wanted to go.
It could be much better.
This movie has NO PLOT. It's boring, Salma Hayek is horrible in it, where is all the decadence and excess??? I swear to God the E TRUE HOLLYWOOD STORY was way more shocking than this movie. They should have filmed it from Steve Rubell's perspective. How did Ryan Philipe got accepted in NYU if he can't even talk properly? Neve Cambell is pitiful.
I gave this 3 stars because of meyers's perfomance and it does has a great soundtrack. Aside that it is a BIG disapointment.
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