Rating: 
Summary: A Whitewashed 1980 New York
Review: In my opinion, Whit Stillman's "The Last Days of Disco" is not nearly as good as the director's "Metropolitan" or "Barcelona". The characters are not as intriguing, and the overall effect of the movie is that it does not capture the atmosphere of 1980-81 New York City. At that time, a certain sleaze and grime pervaded the city. It was an era of dimly-lit, crime-ridden, graffiti-covered subway trains and crime-ridden, gritty, trash-strewn streets. There were two opposite ways in which music and culture reacted to these conditions. The punk movement embraced the chaos of the streets. By contrast, disco papered over the problems with nihilistic glitz and cocaine-fueled glamor. A surface optimism covering over a deep pessimism. Stillman's 1980-81 New York does not capture this pathos. The New York of "The Last Days of Disco" resembles the more orderly city of the late 1990s and today. Had Stillman's characters been interacting in a more true-to-life, grimy 1980 New York City - rather than a whitewashed one in which the trains are miraculously graffiti-free and the streets are clean and safe - I think the movie would have been much more compelling.
Rating: 
Summary: One of my favorite films from 1998
Review: Director and writer Walt Stillman is on a short list of talented film makers who seem to make movies only when they want to. Stiller is forty-eight years old. Besides "The Last Days of Disco", he has done just two other movies - "Metropolitan" in 1990 and "Barcelona" in 1994. Whatever else he does in life must be enlightening to him. Otherwise, his film work would not be so insightful, unique and well crafted. People like Stillman usually have another trait. They tend to explore only a very small segment of society. In his case, it is an ongoing study of upper middle-class young adults who grown up in and around New York City. Because he makes so few movies, he is in no danger of exhausting his subject matter. In fact, those who like his work can hardly wait for the next installment. He is a gifted craftsman. He writes about his characters with a cool detachment, allowing the viewers to form their own opinions. He is a master of dialog. He successfully pulls off a difficult genre known as the comedy of manners. His humor is so cool and dry that I usually find my brain running about five seconds behind what is happening on the screen. I catch myself wanting to talk back to the characters. This, I think, is a compliment, because it indicates becoming very involved with the story. In "Metropolitan", Stillman's award-winning first effort, we were treated to a ritual most of us presumed was dead. The film was about the trials and tribulations of The Coming Out Ball, as in the High Society type. "Barcelona" showed a group of young New Yorkers as they tried, unsuccessfully, to apply their standards to those of Spanish society. "The Last Days of Disco" takes place in Manhattan in the early 1980s. The decline of the disco culture is secondary here to an overall change in social values that was then sweeping the country. The cast is uniformly excellent. While none of them are especially well known, you can expect that to change for several of them. One actor, Christopher Eigerman, has appeared in all three films. This film also makes several references to the city of Barcelona. Stillman has essentially made a movie trilogy, although each film can be enjoyed independently. I don't think you need to have much knowledge of New York to relate to the characters and the story. Exploring one's limits and seeking one's place in the world are universal pursuits. As I said, dialog is at the forefront in "The Last Days of Disco". For example, Chloe Sevigney and Kate Beckinsale play Alice and Charlotte, two roommate who could not be more different. At one point the rather icy Charlotte pushes the much warmer Alice too far. Alice walks out of the apartment, and Chloe realizes she must make amends. So, running into the hall, she gives her best shot at an apology. "Listen! What I said that was wrong, I apologize for!", she shouts. She hesitates a moment. Unable to face complete humility, she follows with, "And what I said that wasn't wrong, I don't apology for!". Walt Stillman has created another urbane and sophisticated work.
Rating:
Summary: Book of film criticism available
Review: There is a new collection of essays on Stillman now available: Doomed Bourgeois in Love: Essays on the Films of Whit Stillman. Very interesting exploration of all the subtleties in all three Stillman films.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, Witty Film about the Disco Era
Review: Directed by the amazing Whit Stillman ("Barcelona"; "Metropolitan"), "The Last Days of Disco" examines the life of several young, upward, professionals (or "yuppies" for short) during the early 1980's, when the disco craze was dying and the Decade of Decadence was beginning. Alice (Chloë Sevigny of "Boys Don't Cry") and Charlotte (Kate Beckisndale of "Brokedown Palace") are two young publishing assistants who live as roommates in the city. Living on a love/hate relationship with one another, both girls decide to socialize with New York's club elite at the most popular club in the city. There, they meet up with the likes of advertising execs and employees, odd club characters such as the Tiger Lady (played by Drew Barrymore's real-life mother, Jaid Barrymore) and others who give the film a unique flavor when it comes to recreating the disco era of the late 1970's/early 1980's. While I really can't give away the details that moves the film to its' conclusion, all I can say that this film blows away the only other disco-era film that was released around the same time, "Studio 54." While the latter tried to recreate the final days of New York City's most infamous nightspot, it failed to capture the energy that disco era was well-known for. Unlike "Studio 54," instead of revolving around the life of one character, "Last Days" focuses on the lives of several young professionals, which gives it more flavor and attraction. Personally, Whit Stillman simply is one of the best American directors out there. His films all involve wit, energy, love, and the elements that plague young adults now and then. In one I consider to be one of the best-written scripts in recent years, Stillman pours plenty of wit and insight on what it is to be young and successful in a large city. Another great thing about this film is its' excellent disco-era soundtrack. Covering such classics such as "I'm Coming Out" by Diana Ross and "Everybody Dance" by Chic, I almost felt that I was transported to the club in the film. If you loved this film, I highly recommend picking up a copy of the soundtrack. If you love Disco and/or films about life in New York City, I highly recommend this film. It is one of the best films of 1998, and after watching it I can't wait for Whit Stillman's next project.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh God How boring
Review: This was an incredibly boring movie. I only gave it one star because that was the lowest rating that could be given. The people were vain, selfish, and immature. The dancing was poor, the music was not mediocre, and the plot was thin to not existent. Generally in a Dancing Movie, the music is good and the dancing is great, IE Saturday Night Fever, Flashdance, Dirty Dancing to name a few. But this movie just was poor all the way around and had no redeeming points. Don't waste your time.
Rating:
Summary: Shallow, Not Subtle--Simply Awful.
Review: I'm amazed at the number of reviews I've read here that descibe the "witty dialogue" in this film, or that describe it as a "representative piece" for the 1980s. Good Lord, I sat through this film last night, and it was the most vapid movie I've seen in quite awhile. I waited--in vain--for the dialogue to become witty and insightful. I generally love films with a lot of dialogue, but this was a "talky" film that had very, very little to say. I began to think that the point was, perhaps, that these characters were so shallow that they had nothing of note to communicate to one another. If that's the case, this could have been done with more style and with some semblance of a plot or character development. The actors sound like they're trapped in a bad high school play--indeed, I think I've seen high school and community theatre productions that were more engaging than this pretentious waste of film stock.
Rating:
Summary: Another great film from Whit Stillman film
Review: This film came out about the same time as 54 and follows a very similar club through its demise during "the last days of disco". That's where the similarity ends. This, as all Stillman movies, is a film driven by dialog. If you have never seen a Whit Stillman film before, you're in for a treat. This is a film for people who love strong dialog and good character development. Chloe Sevigny (Kids, Boys Don't Cry) is a great addition to the regular Stillman players like Christopher Eigeman (Metropolitan, It's Like, you know ....). The soundtrack is great and really adds to the feel of the film. If you enjoy this film, check out Metropolitan and Barcelona. Also check out Kicking & Screaming and Mr. Jealousy. These follow the same great formula with some of the same actors.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Film
Review: Characters tend to be overly wordy and self-absorbed, not unlike many preppies. However (like Metropolitan) in reality conversations just don't flow the way this film portrays them. However, very entertaining perceptions come out of the mouths of these various characters. Preppies did in fact get increasingly interested in the disco movement in its later days. which I believe started downhill by summer of 1979. Of course, I had never been in, nor heard of any disco (during that era) where the volume of the music was low enough whereby one could actually carry on any normal conversation, let alone an actual intelligent conversation. Also, during that era, any club would have had some couples engaging in partner contact dancing with spins, turns, and so forth.(not unlike this "swing dancing" fad of several yrs ago) This film very strangely shows none of that. Since this was a "private club" it may have beeen a preppies vision of an ideal club, perhaps not unlike some of classy supper/big band/dress up clubs of the 1920's - 30's era often portrayed in Hollywood movies. Kate Beckindale actually was a very sexy character in an Ivy League self-absorbed sense. Her character is actually a quite realistic portrayal of many preppies of her time - kind of balancing sluttiness with her husband hunting. Overall, a fun film to watch.
Rating:
Summary: An masterful work in a series
Review: Last days of Disco is the third installment in Stillman's triology of movies (the otehr two being barcelona and Metropolitan). The formula for these movies has been to track the lives of thoughful indiviudals in very specific histortical/sociological context; discos final days, the fleeting days of high society in NY, Barcelona in the midst of violent cultural change. This movie is not for fans of Staurday Night Fever or Studio 54. It is constructed in a dramatic tradition and offers windows into the charactors lives and how they function within a context. This movie may be the less engaging of the three but it is, most likely, the most approachable of the three. All three of these "period pieces" are worth owning on DVD but the odds are that most poeple will find this to be the most outwardly engaging of the three. The dialog is less loaded than Stillmans other two movies (mostly because the Charactors are less intertwined than those in the other two films.) Those unfmailar with Stillman would most likely like this movie if they are fans of dirrectors such as Hal Hartley or David Mamet,.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Horrible
Review: This has to be the worst movie that I have ever witnessed in my 28 years on Earth. It was simply horrible and I would rather eat the $20 plus that I spent on buying it.
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