54Studio 54 was the place to be in the 70s. If you got in, you were either famous, gorgeous, or just really lucky. The rich and famous would go, and so Studio 54 became not only a club, but a place where you could mingle with the stars and maybe land a job in a film. But the club was run by Steve Rubell who loved money more than anything. He loved it so much, in fact, that he would do anything to keep the government from getting their hands on it. In other words, this is the stuff movies are made of.
So it was only a matter of time before someone in Hollywood decided to turn the infamous studio into a film. It has all the makings of an Oscar worthy picture, full of greed, corruption, drugs, blatant sex, and zany characters. But somewhere along the line, all of that got lost in the shuffle. Instead of 54 being about the studio, it was about a fictional character. And that's one of its biggest problems.
I'm not sure why it is even called 54, since the studio is merely a backdrop for the character study that becomes the center stage. But Studio 54 was a character all itself and that is not the focus of 54. It's a shame too because people these days are wanting to relive the 70s: teenagers are fascinated by the outrageous clothes and hairstyles, while adults remember the freedom and music. Of course, we've seen this before with Boogie Nights and The Last Days of Disco. But Studio 54 was the most important club in the 70s. The film lets that reputation down big time.
Opening with a monologue by Shane O'Shea (Ryan Phillipe), we learn of Studio 54 and the 70s in general. All of the events that occurred in that decade seemed to all be held together by the presence of the studio. It was there that you could drop all of your problems and fears. Shane lives in New Jersey, but he wants to go to New York City to see Studio 54 for one reason only: his dream girl, Julie Black (Neve Campbell), went there. One day, he convinces his friends to drive him there, only to discover a huge line of people waiting to get in. And standing outside the door was Steve Rubell (Mike Myers) himself. Rubell loved to stand outside and select the people he wanted to go in. And he made sure only the beautiful people were let in.
The story revolves around Shane and his rise to glory. He gets into Studio 54 (without his shirt) and discovers a world of free drugs, free sex, and all the music you could want. At first awkward, Shane becomes a hit with the patrons and soon becomes employed by Rubell as a busboy (in one of the funniest scenes of the movie). He becomes great friends with another busboy, Greg (Breckin Meyer) who is married to Anita (Salma Hayek), a coat-check girl. Anita hopes to become a singer, and Greg is more than supportive. Greg wants to become a bartender but won't do anything to get it. However, Shane will, and Greg becomes distraught when Rubell gives Shane the bartender position. Then again, all Shane had to do was ask.
Producer Richard Gladstein said that Miramax had asked for an edgy film and that's what they provided. Unfortunately, it's no where near as edgy as, say, Boogie Nights. Of course, director Christopher was displeased with the final product. 54 was in production before Boogie Nights, and apparently the studio watched how that film performed. After it didn't do very well, Miramax took 54 into their own hands and re-edited it for a more mainstreamed audience. And how ironic that sounds, considering that Studio 54 was not for the mainstreamed. 54's original trailer had more nudity and sex than is present in the actual film. This is rather a case of the previews being better than the actual film. There is even a romantic subplot involving Shane and Greg, but that was left on the cutting room floor. What Miramax has done is show us a glamorized version of the 70s. This is how we want to remember that decade, while Boogie Nights was how it really was. Instead of showing the gratuitous sex and nudity that we were expecting (I mean, come on... this was Studio 54!), we get something that is more streamlined. It's as if they took the concept of the studio and then softened it for audiences these days, as if we couldn't handle it. The audience I attended the viewing with seemed to agree. On the way out, people were complaining that it wasn't what it should or could have been. Perhaps this will go right back to Miramax and bite them you-know-where.
But not all of the blame can be put on the studio. Mark Christopher, who has only produced two short films which received critical praise at film festivals, has written a screenplay that focuses completely on the wrong thing. If the film should have been about anyone, it was Steve Rubell. How did this weird, balding guy get to be the party guy of the world? It's not quite explained, but we do get some very interesting looks at his personality, including one perfect scene as Rubell rolls around in his money. After asking for sex, he vomits over the money. Rubell is a great character, and yet he's left in the background for a lot of the film. His deals with the IRS are infinitely more interesting than what Shane is doing with Julie Black.
A lot of 54 is aided by the presence of Mike Myers who gives his first dramatic performance. After completely submersing him in roles such as Wayne from Wayne's World or Austin Powers from Austin Power: International Man of Mystery, he decided to join the ranks with Robin Williams and Kevin Kline as being great dramatic actors too. I'm not sure if it is Myers talent or if this character was just perfect for him, but Myers gives one of the best performances this year, and probably will get an Oscar nomination. But on the acting side, that's really all that's noticeable. Ryan Phillipe has been getting bad critiques over his performance, but I thought he did a nice job. Sure, it's not a great performance, but it was enough to maintain the film from degenerating into a boring flop. Neve Campbell is surprisingly underused, but then again she doesn't really give a good performance. Salma Hayek is good, and when she sings, she's as energetic as this film should have been. Breckin Meyer unfortunately gives one of the worst performances in the film. I have admired him before, but here he seems stiff and dull. Cameos include Donald Trump and Cindy Crawford, but frankly, I don't remember seeing them.
Director Mark Christopher (opposed to the writer Christopher) does quite a good job at capturing the feel of the 70s and the energy of Studio 54. In the last scene, which takes place in the 80s, there is something lacking... a sort of kinetic energy that was almost palpable in the 70s. It's quite an impressive moment, and also includes a touching farewell scene. But the problem is the writing which doesn't focus on the right thing. As is, the director has tried very hard to make his screenplay good. But he doesn't quite succeed, mostly because it isn't nearly as exciting as it should have been. Many scenes in Studio 54 are riveting, but when we begin to focus on Shane, it slows down... way down. The costumes are great, the music is great, but those all take a second spot to the writing, which is just a big letdown. A better director/writer would have known what to do, but Christopher wants to create a sort of Boogie Nights in which fictional characters populate a real world. It doesn't work here. One thing may be for the running time at 90 minutes. The studio supposedly took out a kiss between Meyer and Phillipe as well as a ton of sex and nudity that was more apparent in the original trailer. I don't quite know what the studio was going for, considering that Studio 54 was all about freedom. How ironic.
54 is rated R for strong language, some violence, and sex and nudity. This is the version of Boogie Nights that conservative people were hoping for. But, in doing so, they have turned away even those people. The film lets down on so many parts that it's merits can't quite bring it up for me to give it a recommendation. Myers is worth seeing it for, because he could be awarded an Oscar nomination. And if you like seeing Ryan Phillipe with his shirt off, you probably will like it. And while that was entertaining in itself, Mark Christopher lets it down with a slow and watered down version of Studio 54. It's a disappointment because I had high expectations for it. After all, Studio 54 is what movies are made of.