54 [Blu-ray]

I WAS THERE
Yup, I got into Studio 54 as an underage teenager just before Schrager and Rubell got busted. The direction and cinematography make this film a classic --- as close to being there as being chosen by doorman Mark Benecke out of a crowd a thousand deep. $15 cover charge in 1979! And you'd walk through the hall of mirrors like Ryan Phillippe, pass the coat check, and come upon that row of black doors, a gateway to the most fantastic party in your wildest dreams. I finally figured out one reason for the club's success -- with the undeclared cash income, the owners threw the most extravagant parties of all time, night after night. This film gives an inkling, an idea of the place, for history, though the real Studio 54 was neither as freakish or out of control as the film depicts. When you entered the place, you felt like you'd gone to heaven. After a while, it felt like home.

Music, dancing and decadence all lit up by stobe lighting
Remember Studio 54? And doesn't it seem a long time ago?

This was a dance club like no other in the late 1970s. The patrons were either celebrities or those chosen at the front door because they had the "look" of the beautiful people. Inside was a fantasy of dancing and drugs, all lit by strobe lighting. And, as it had formerly been a theater, there was a even balcony for those almost private moments of brief romantic encounters. The waiters and bartenders were all gorgeous young men and wore nothing but shorts and a bow tie. This is a story of one of these guys.

Ryan Phillips is cast in the role of Shane O'Shea, a 19 year old from New Jersey who yearns for a star-studded life. He's chosen at the door and is big eyed with wonder and desire. Eventually, he becomes a waiter and later is promoted to bartender. There are a lot of women. And there is a lot of money. He even gets his picture in a magazine. Everything comes easy for him but he really is...

Coulda Been, But Wasn't....
Okay, first of all, to Masonx, Ryan Phillippe is not Canadian. Back to the point....This movie had tons of potential. I was really looking foward to seeing it. Having been born in 1978 I did most of my growing in the 90's so there was never a time that sex was safe and drugs were not addictive. I find that period of freedom fascinating and 54 was where the party was. I'm sure this movie was going somewhere very interesting before the studio got a hold of it. Laced with sex, drugs, homosexuality and energy, as that time was, the original cut was probably very good. But, alas, someone got nervous and added these horrible scenes, and cut the heart out of the film. They beefed up Neve's role, which was bad, beefed up Mike Myers role, which he played well but it just didn't work, and just plain messed up the movie. You can tell all the stuff that was reshot by Ryan's afro wig which looks nothing like real hair. Watch the original trailer to see things that look good but never...

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