Buy 54 on DVD | TLA Gay

54

Disney/Miramax / Year: 1998

DVD More Info Region Code: 1 UPC: 031398137160 Catalog #: DV1064751 Languages: English Dolby Digital 5.1 (Primary)	Usually ships in 5-10 days	$9.99
Blu-ray More Info Close Caption: No Region Code: 1 UPC: 031398150053 Catalog #: DB1064753 Languages: English Dolby Digital 5.1 (Primary)	Usually ships in 5-10 days	$19.99

When new special editions or price reductions are announced.

Synopsis

A fabulous idea from a promising new filmmaker is turned into an anti-drug, de-queered (de-boned?) flaccid mess. Ryan Phillippe look great shirtless (kind of hard for him not to) and Mike Myers is impressive as Rubell, but that's about it. Gimme another drink ticket, please!

3 Reasons To buy this film

As disappointed as we were when this movie first came along in 1998, I have kind of grown to love it's campy clichés and overall ineptitude. This isn't the great film it should have been, but it turned in to an interesting failure.
I would be willing to watch Ryan Phillippe read from the phone book for hours on end as long as he's doing it shirtless. That boy is a one of God's little gifts to gay men everywhere.
Mike Myers is fantastic in this movie - and made a bold career move by going after such this role after his huge Austin Powers success. I particularly love the scene where he tries to suck Breckin Meyer's cock.

Review

What happened to this promising idea? Hot shot gay filmmaker Mark Christopher, who showed great insight and sensitivity with the shorts The Dead Boys Club and Alkali, Iowa seemed a natural to explore the tumultuous world of sex, drugs, disco and debauchery in 54. But the result is a clichéd morality tale of moral descent and eventual redemption.

54 lacks the artistic vision of Boogie Nights, isn't as witty as The Last Days of Disco, and can't even duplicate the cheesy fun of Saturday Night Fever. Did anyone have a good time during these years? In yet another youth-comes-to-the-big-city plot line, boy toy Ryan Phillippe stars as Shane, a naïve, Jersey kid who gets a job at the famed Studio 54. Quicker than you can snort a hit of coke, he's doing drugs, having anonymous sex, and not phoning home to dad.

As a story of corrupted youth, 54 has little to offer; its limited appeal lies in the peripheral characters who populate the club. Best of these is Louise Dryden, who gives an engaging performance as Steve Rubell, 54's gay owner. He should have been the main focus of the film. And for a club which had so many gays as clients and staff, it's back to the '70s for gay representation as there are no gay characters except for the pill-popping, criminal Rubell.

The answer to this disappointment might lie with the intense fighting the director had with Miramax (and the notorious Weinsteins) who thought his original version was, apparently, "too gay." The result is this de-homosexualized, chopped-up mess of a melodrama.

-- Erik Schut

Product Format Information

DVD : $9.99

Availability: Usually ships in
5-10 days
Region Code: 1
UPC: 031398137160
Catalog #: DV1064751

Studio : Disney/Miramax

Languages: English Dolby Digital 5.1 (Primary)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85, Widescreen
Features:
Music video(s): "If You Could Read My Mind"

---------------------------------------------------

Blu-ray : $19.99

Availability: Usually ships in
5-10 days
Close Caption: No
Region Code: 1
UPC: 031398150053
Catalog #: DB1064753

Studio : Disney/Miramax

Languages: English DTS-HD 5.1 (Primary) , English Subtitles , Spanish Subtitles
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen, Widescreen
Features:
Music video(s)

Customer Reviews

The Notorious Club

Amos Lassen wrote on 12/25/2011:

In the 1970’s, Club 54 was perhaps the most famous in the world. Here we get the fictionalized story about it as seen by one of the employees. Mike Myers plays Steve Rubell, the owner of 54 and a cocaine addict. Myers delivers a bravura performance as the gay Rubell. This role is far removed from the silliness of “Austin Powers” and we see Myers as a dramatic actor.
The 70’s were a rebellious time in America and the spirit of rebellion is caught here. Drugs and sexual promiscuity are seen throughout the film. The movie was panned by critics when it was released in 1998. I am not sure why because I actually enjoyed it. The acting is excellent throughout the film and Ryan Phillippe and Selma Hyeck give excellent performances.
The club was a magical place where one could dance all night and meet celebrities. Shane O’Shea (Phillippe) works at 54 and tells us (from the inside) what it was really like. There are factual errors as often happens in Hollywood but the story is intriguing. 54 was the place to be and I doubt we will ever see anything like it again.