54

Rating:
Summary: Disco isn't dire
Review: Following up 'Boogie Nights' and edited for theatre release perhaps '54' was doomed from the beginning. It was always going to be hard enough garnering teenage interest in a movie about the 70's disco scene even if it did have some of the hottest young talent out there. However, despite bad reviews this is actually a good movie.

The plot follows Jersey kid Shane (Phillipe) desperate to make it big and ending up as a topless waiter in Studio 54, the hottest nightclub in New York. There he hooks up with Meyer and Hayek and begins his road to corruption along drugs and meaningless sex in an effort to make something of his life. Basically that seems to be the main message of the film, collecting together a group of seemingly perfect beautiful people that aren't happy with their lives and seek direction. Phillipe's wants fame, Hayek wants a singing career, Meyer wants a promotion and more money whilst club owner Steve Rubell (Myers) is the most self-deprecating figure in the movie.

Myers gives the performance of his career as the ultimately pathetic Steve Rubell, and the cast of hot young hopefuls surrounding him almost echo their characters in a way, each on the brink of the big time. Looking at this it's a shame Phillip can't pick better material than 'Antitrust' because he does manage to uphold his role whilst real life friend Meyer and sultry Hayek are both equally good. Also watch out for a performance from Sherry Stringfield (aka Susan from 'ER'). The only problem is that one of the big-listed stars, Neve Campbell, has all of three scenes in the movie but still manages to sparkle.

This is be no ways a bad film, but it's also no classic. Still it's rare that a cast of teenage hopefuls can uphold such an ultimately bleak movie. And Myers should have received some kind of accolade for his work here.

Rating:
Summary: The Party Starts Again At Studio 54
Review: "54" stars Ryan Phillippe, Selma Hayak, Neve Campbell, and Mike Myers. The movie describes the high doses of everything in Studio 54. Though much information from real-life was eliminated, especially the second club owner, it still has many enjoyable scenes. Had they included those extra details, "54" likely would have been given a five stars. The high extremes of glitz, glamour, flamboyance, sex, music, and drugs are desplicted brilliantly. The stage set-up of Studio 54 gives the movie further joy, especially in the lights, the glitter, and the elaborate construction. Such scenery shines light to disco music. Mike Myers role as the club owner, Steve Rubell, is his best in his career. Sadly, he was highly underrated. The other actors are average, though most have performed better. "54" is a great movie for those looking to revisit the 1970's and/or the disco era. Many will be entertained. Those looking for a further disco experience should also watch "Saturday Night Fever".

Rating:
Summary: THROW THE BEST PARTY-AND MAKE IT LAST FOREVER
Review: Welcome to Studio 54-where the glitter glows-the disco lights shine-and the music shimmers!

You seem like a cool person-come into Studio 54!

Welcome to my party handsome!

Studio 54 is about the infamous disco nightclub-where a New Jersey guy goes to NYC to get into Studio 54 and not only gets inside this legendary palace-but gets a job behind the bar!

And Mike Meyers did a powerful job as the Steve Rubell-Meyers should of got an oscar for this-or at least an Academy Award!

So watch Studio 54-we may not be able to get into the real Studio 54-but this movie is your ticket to get past the velvet ropes and have one shimmering party!

A man named Steve Rubell had a dream-to throw the best damn party the world had ever seen-and make it last forever!

Well,Steve Rubell-you did just that!

In memory of a great party thrower-Steve Rubell!

And of course Studio 54!

In our hearts and minds-Studio 54-and Steve Rubell will always party on!

Rating:
Summary: A disappointing look at the lengendary club
Review: It's always disappointing to realize, halfway through a movie, that you have no idea what it's about. On the surface, "54" seems to be straightforward enough: it tells the story of a legendary '70s Manhattan nightclub, a place so trendy that the doorman refused admission to nine out of every ten people who tried to get inside. Simply being seen at the club could get you invited into an elite social circle, which included not only royalty, but the biggest celebrities of the day... and for those lucky enough to gain entrance, drugs and sex were free for the asking.

Unfortunately, unsure of where to take this concept, "54" degenerates into a muddled mass, remaining cool and aloof from the viewer for the majority of its running time.

Shane (Ryan Phillippe) is a teenager with a crush on soap-opera star Julie Black (Neve Campbell). When a newspaper article reports that Julie has been spotted at the nightclub several times, the handsome but dim-witted Shane pays a visit. Gaining admission via his rugged good looks, he manages to land a job as a busboy, eventually working his way up to bartender.

The club's owner, Steve Rubell ("Wayne's World" creator Mike Myers, in a highly-touted dramatic role), is a drug addict who runs the nightclub his way, with little regard for the consequences of his actions. (In a nationally-televised interview, for example, Rubell cheerfully admits that he lies to the IRS about how much money the club makes.) His is a world of pills, music, and regrets, none of which are easily remembered the next day.

This had the potential to be an interesting story, but the execution is, alas, very clumsy. The script is unfocused; it doesn't really succeed at conveying either the excitement of the era, or any indication why the club was so highly regarded. It's "The Last Days of Disco" meets "Boogie Nights," with all the high-points somehow lost along the way.

But whatever flaws the film may have, they are not the fault of Myers; indeed, so convincing is his performance that all thoughts of Wayne Campbell and Austin Powers were forever purged from my mind. Myers knows that Rubell is not a hero; he's just a junkie trying to get by the best way he knows how, and he plays the role accordingly. I have new respect for his abilities as an actor.

In fact, Myers is so good that the film suffers when he's not on the screen. Although the character of Rubell is intriguing, he's reduced to a relatively small part. Considering that nearly all the events which happen in the movie (including an IRS audit of the club and the death of a patron) would significantly affect his character, it's surprising that he's given so little screen time in comparison to the exceedingly bland Shane. Ryan Phillippe seems to be sleep-walking through his role, mumbling his lines and showing little interest in any of the remarkable things that happen to him. Neve Campbell turns in her usual competent performance, but the script never allows her to become a "real" person. She remains just another face passing briefly through Shane's life. This is one of the most disappointing facets of the story: getting to know the "real" person behind the Famous Actress persona that Julie wears should be fascinating; instead, it comes off as trite.

The movie succeeds, however, at capturing the claustrophobic feel of a crowded nightclub. Nearly every scene is "lit" only by neon signs or disco strobe lights. The grainy, underexposed look which results from this method of shooting is just right. The music is also well-chosen, capturing the feel of the late '70s. Rubell's spoken introductions to many of the songs are also quite amusing. An "A+" for atmosphere, but alas, that alone doesn't make a great film.

"54" isn't horrible, but it steps all over itself while attempting to convey a story. Rather than needing MORE plot, the film should've dropped its superfluous elements and focused on its most interesting storyline: Steve Rubell's struggle to keep the club open in the face of adversity. The film rolls along nicely during Mike Myers' scenes, but overall it plays out like the disco music featured on its soundtrack: occasionally pleasant, but ultimately going nowhere.

Rating:
Summary: Ryan
Review: See 54 for Ryan Phillippe, he is hot. He has it all, abs, muscles, and a hot face. As usual he is the bad boy type and snags most of the ladies, if not all. Expect the usual, Ryan to show his behind, and to do it as much as he can. If you are a boy like me you will also like all of the hot ladies in this movie too.

Rating:
Summary: 54
Review: Mike Meyers plays Steve Rubell in his first (widely acknowledged) dramatic roll, and I might add he is almost worth seeing the film for alone, as he lights the whole movie up when he's on screen. How come he didn't get an Oscar for this roll I'll never know.

All the other players are very well cast in their rolls too, but the plot is a little lacking at times, the whole Ryan Phillippe and Salma Hayek love triangle seems to be swept under the carpet in favour of a some IRS tax dodge story which I think would have been better as a pub plot.

But don't let the films plot drag you down - because its the whole mood and music of the film that keeps it moving which after all is what the whole club scene was all about, right?

Rating:
Summary: Great film, great soundtrack
Review: Fantastic film set around the 70's night club "54". Surprisingly well acted especially Mike Meyers as the night club's owner and Ryan Phillippe as the new kid on the block.

The music is just as good and so the soundtrack is a must have.

It seems that the director was not able to release his cut of the film and so the US DVD version (the best I've seen so far) is the closest we are going to get. However what remains is still great and definitely worth seeing.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent account of an American Institution
Review: I remember the days of 54 plainly and this film did a wonderful job recreating the incredible, unlikely yet TRUE story of a warehouse turned superclub. Mike Myers was brilliant in his potrayal of the eccentric genius of the club owner, Ryan Phillippe did a great job in his narration (though as an actor I think he is lousy), and my FAVORITE sexy lady in the world, Sela Ward, is mesmerizing to me in ANY film, and she is beautiful and brilliant as always.

This film even delves into the lives of the "social climbers"; Phillippe's character, a Jersey kid literally pumping gas, lands a job as a bartender at 54 which paid more than most MD's made at the time and had more prestige to his peers; also, the mixing of all sorts in the club- old money, new money, beautiful young people, made for a very alluring mix.

This film was great; the biggest letdown was the acting job done by Salma Hayek, who I hold in very high regard as both an actress and a sexy lady- she reduced her character to a whining,
pathetic shell of what I felt was meant to be a strong-willed, determined starlet.

Overall, this was one of the best films of 1998; Mike Myers showed that he has an incredible acting range, from the extreme bafoonery in Wayne's World, to the more sophisticated comedy of the Austin Powers series, then going into the genre of the tortured soul of the 54's rise and fall.

Rating:
Summary: AND THE OSCAR FOR BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE...
Review: ...MIKE MYERS IN 54!! MIKE MYERS IS THE REASON TO SEE 54. THE REST OF THE CAST ARE FINE. BUT MYERS STEALS EVERY SCENE HE'S IN WITH EASE. AN OVER ALL GOOD MOVIE, WITH AN ATTRACTIVE CAST THAT ALSO INCLUDES RYAN PHILLIPPE, SALMA HAYEK AND NEVE CAMPBELL.

Rating:
Summary: Hang on...let's just consider for a minute
Review: "54" is a movie which (as far as I can tell) tries to be about some sort of wonderful utopian dream that ends up being betrayed by Bad People Doing Crooked Stuff, and a Bad Government Cracking Down On Good Folks Jest Tryna Express Themselves. Sorry, guys. This is a movie about a nightclub. Personally, I hate the places; the drinks are insanely overpriced, the door policy is brutally elitist (the movie recognises that, but tries to make out that it's a Good Thing, cause it's cool to be one of Steve's Friends), the music is bloody awful and they're too often meat markets for the ruthlessly single.

Why in the world anyone is meant to care about a place like this is frankly beyond me. I watched it dutifully, trying to summon a smidgeon of sympathy for the people involved, but in the end I wished they'd all just go home and stop fooling themselves. Oh, the performances are fine, although I thought Mike Myers was a bit wooden, but then he's a great comedy actor, he doesn't need to prove that he can do other stuff too.

Why this movie ever got made is a mystery to me. Its main purpose seems to me to be to make me nostalgic for a club that a.) no longer exists and b.) I almost certainly couldn't have gotten into anyway. Is stupid jealousy a good basis for a movie? I think not. Next, please.