54 (1998)

Sadly Over-hyped

Memorable, crazy movie

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

I guess people are reviewing this movie as compared to around 1998. We seem to remember a lot of the great movies (depending on who you talk to) were like late 70's early 80's, the godfathers, and the star wars and so on. But seriously the 90's made some really hard core classics that the quotes are still around today. Forrest Gump, people still quote that. That movie was 1994. Saving Private Ryan, then you have Schindler's List, Titanic was 97. So when this movie came out you pretty much were up against the 90's and big name movies.So I can understand how this didn't leave a good taste in peoples mouth. Plus all the talk of the late 70's and early 80's, which is still my favorite decade of music. I agree with every one about Michael Myers character. It was simply off the chain. You could tell he prepared for his role. And honestly I don't know how Steve rubell acted in real life. And frankly it doesn't matter, mike Myers still performed great.Salma Hayek was just a beauty. A pure beauty back then and probably is now. Older or not. Great person to show in this movie. This was the decade of some drop dead gorgeous women with natural looks. The Pam Griers, farrah Farcetts, who ever played that girl in night rider, wonder woman, and all the charlie's angels. You name it those girls knew how to look good. Frankly in 2017 I'm not impressed. But to find some one in 1998 with that kind of natural beauty wasn't easy either. She played the part very well. Although her part wasn't as big as it should have been, it was definitely key to this movie.Ryan part in this movie as Shane was all over the place. Probably where people had a hard time relating to. I mean they didn't really talk much about his family. And they played the whole dad was a drunk and didn't care about my life theme too much. As a matter of fact I wish directors would quit playing that scene out. Its old and pretty much the characters who play it in movies don't do it right. The dad just seemed out of place as well as the sisters.Now that I think about it, Ryan shouldn't even have been the main character. He didn't really live up to the 70's and early 80's and Nev Campbell is hardly convincing of somebody who "is doing what it takes to get on top". And I'm not sure if they cut out a lot of sex scenes but for the late 70's early 80's they needed a lot more sex and drugs. As matter of fact this movie if it was made in the early 80's would have been great.All the other characters honestly aren't worth talking about. And I have to be honest. I love this movie. But its more like a guilty pleasure. If I'm writing an honest review of the quality of the film and acting. Its not very well for what they could have had. Where they were suppose to give an account of a bar where anything went. Sex, drugs and just simply a lot of questionable behavior. They simply went on about a bartenders life and how he got be at studio 54.They should have just had the show focus on Myers and how he was the owner of the bar and what kind of business deals was he in. Would have been much more interesting. Or simply recast the character, make tom cruise play the part of Shane and then go far on about how salma and who ever played Shane were having an affair and then honestly ditch Nev and go with Denise Richards and that would have been a hit.But they didn't. Its still a show worth watching. I love watching it, but it could have been better. I remember that decade from 75 to 85 as the greatest and most unique when it came to music and just experimenting with fun. The movie makes it seem like pretty good but boring at times with a bunch of people just trying to make it and falling in line when they are told. I didn't grow up in that decade, so maybe it was like that. But that doesn't stop people from making the 50's into pleasantville now does it?

This film tells the story of a young man from Jersey City, who goes to Manhattan to work for the fanciest club that people can almost touch heaven.I watched the director's cut in the Taipei Queer Film Festival, and I was truly engrossed by the story. The young Ryan Philippe is magnetic in his role, as he gets transfixed by money, glitter and fame. He pays a high price for his lifestyle, ultimately causing rather sad events. Acting is great by the now big stars, but at that time unknowns. The story makes people ponder upon the priorities in life, and the need to choose between glitter and fame versus friendship and wholesomeness. The music is uplifting and fits the film well. I truly enjoyed it!

54 (1998): Dir: Mark Christopher / Cast: Ryan Phillippe, Selma Hayek, Neve Campbell, Mike Myers, Breckin Meyer: Dazzling film remembering Club 54 as the place to be. Set in 1979 with Ryan Phillippe venturing to Club 54 upon seeing a photo of soap star Neve Campbell in a newspaper. Club owner Mike Myers hires him as a bartender. The club demands a distinct appearance and upon removing his shirt, Phillippe is granted entry while his friends remain outside. Other key roles belong to Selma Hayek as a dancer whose bus boy husband steals money from the club. Campbell surfaces as a woman who hates her job and uses the club to escape the spotlight but her footage is almost unnecessary since it more or less disjoints the screenplay. Director Mark Christopher films it as an event with spectacular art direction. Mike Myers delivers the film's best performance as the corrupt club owner trying to avoid the I.R.S. He has both charm as well a loathing appeal where he can use employees at any means. Breckin Meyer plays Hayek's husband who is the real culprit when dirty deeds are passed. In the end it will all catch up with him as his empire crumbles. During the final credits we are given a glimpse of real celebrities that appeared in the club and represented its happening. It is a film about time and what occurs within it or how it stood still during club hours. Score: 9 / 10

Probably the only thing I can say about 54, the sort-of disco biopic of Steve Rubell and his famous club, is that it's all so inconsequential. There isn't really anything to recommend here, not even Mike Myer's Fran Drescheresque performance. It took about three minutes for me not to care.And I was a teenager during the disco era. I hated the stuff--brainless, artless nonsense. With no discernible talent required to compose disco, there was no reason to take any of it seriously. An incoherent narrative, dreadful dialogue, and a whole undercurrent of stupefying stupidity (the heart and soul of disco), don't combine for anything other than a garbage movie about pathetic people living in the unreal world of the late 1970s disco scene.Have at it.