So last night I was watching The Office and there was an episode where they get CPR training and learned to do it to the beat of “Staying Alive”. That reminded me that this movie has been on my watchlist for quite sometime. I feel like I’ve heard about it a lot over the years (probably because my mom is a Bee Gees fan) but had absolutely no idea what to expect. Ive always been under the impression it was going to be another one of those family friendly musicals like Grease but I could not have been more wrong. Outside of the awesome disco scenes, the film was pretty basic, not to mention unnecessarily crude. The dancing is what saves this movie from being forgettable. I must say I’ve seen few people dance with as much confidence as Travolta does in this movie. And as for his acting, well, let’s just say maybe he should have pursued a career in dance. Anyway, this movie is full of that ‘70s charm that I love so dearly. The colors, culture, fashion, and grainy look of the film are all part of what make the ‘70s possibly my favorite decade as far as films go. They tended to test the limits as far as what was shown on screen and the way it was shown. The cinematography in this film was excellent. It really brought the dance scenes to life and was very bland outside of the disco club to show the characters boredom with his average life.
I would only recommend this movie to someone seeking some ‘70s nostalgia. And I would warn them of the 2 hours of very off-color material they are about to witness. Racial and homophobic slurs are thrown around. A graphic sexual assault is played off like nothing. Not to mention the never ending derogatory words and actions toward women. Though I realize this was the reality of the ‘70s, it’s still shocking to watch on film in this day and age. This is a dark coming of age story disguised as a fun disco movie. Though some scenes were difficult to watch, I enjoyed it overall (especially the soundtrack) and it was no doubt an important part of pop culture and film history.
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May Featured Movie QuoteBarry B. Benson: Yellow-black, yellow-black, yellow-black, yellow-black... Oh, black and yellow. Yeah, let's shake it up a little.
Yeah, I have letterboxd now
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