Review by Erik Schut
By: Erik Schut
In-House Review - Jun 27 2016
Editor's Note: The review below concerns the original release and not the new Director's Cut. We have removed our star rating to give this new version a fair shake.
What happened to this promising idea? Hot shot gay filmmaker Mark Christ...
Read More
Editor's Note: The review below concerns the original release and not the new Director's Cut. We have removed our star rating to give this new version a fair shake.
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, , 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 , 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 Mike Myers, 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 Weinsteins) who thought his original version was, apparently, "too gay." The result is this de-homosexualized, chopped-up mess of a melodrama.
Review by Erik Schut
By: Erik Schut
In-House Review - Jun 27 2016
Editor's Note: The review below concerns the original release and not the new Director's Cut. We have removed our star rating to give this new version a fair shake.
What happened to this promising idea? Hot shot gay filmmaker Mark Christ...
Read More
Editor's Note: The review below concerns the original release and not the new Director's Cut. We have removed our star rating to give this new version a fair shake.
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, , 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 , 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 Mike Myers, 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 Weinsteins) who thought his original version was, apparently, "too gay." The result is this de-homosexualized, chopped-up mess of a melodrama.
Review by Green Giant
By: Green Giant
i was eagerly awaiting the release of the
director's cut but was rather disappointed.
i found the director's cut not that radically
different from the version which was released
August of 1998. reasons why.
1.the...
Read More
i was eagerly awaiting the release of the
director's cut but was rather disappointed.
i found the director's cut not that radically
different from the version which was released
August of 1998. reasons why.
1.the visual quality of much of the new footage
is quite uneven.
2. the kiss between Phillippe and Myer was
underwhelming. with all the hoopla about
said kiss i expected a really passionate kiss
but it was far from it.
3.the cut i want to see is the original 2hr. cut
used for previews in April of 1998.
Review by Green Giant
By: Green Giant
i was eagerly awaiting the release of the
director's cut but was rather disappointed.
i found the director's cut not that radically
different from the version which was released
August of 1998. reasons why.
1.the...
Read More
i was eagerly awaiting the release of the
director's cut but was rather disappointed.
i found the director's cut not that radically
different from the version which was released
August of 1998. reasons why.
1.the visual quality of much of the new footage
is quite uneven.
2. the kiss between Phillippe and Myer was
underwhelming. with all the hoopla about
said kiss i expected a really passionate kiss
but it was far from it.
3.the cut i want to see is the original 2hr. cut
used for previews in April of 1998.
Review by Amos Lassen
By: Amos Lassen
"54"
The Resurrection
Amos Lassen
Just a few days ago I wrote a new review of the 1998 film, "54" but now there is more news about it. When it was first released, it did not do much at the boy office but now, strangely enough, it s bei...
Read More
"54"
The Resurrection
Amos Lassen
Just a few days ago I wrote a new review of the 1998 film, "54" but now there is more news about it. When it was first released, it did not do much at the boy office but now, strangely enough, it s being resurrected as a gay cult classic. It was shown this year at the Berlin Film Festival and it is the same film that received poor reviews but it also is a film that when made by director Mark Christopher was "a gritty, queer exploration of pre-AIDS hedonism." Miramax released the film and removed 30 minutes and almost sanitized beyond recognition". Ryan Phillippe who had the role of Shane said, "I've never seen this kind of editing and reshooting on another film I've done". Shane is a Jersey boy who was seduced by the club's sex--disco allure and he maintains, "The characters were fundamentally changed in a way that wasn't true to the original script. Not even close."
There were bootleg copies of the original film that were widely seen and circulated and those copies became cult favorites. Now a new digital release is planned for later in the year as well. The basic plot of the new release is the story of Shane as he leaves his New Jersey home and arrives in New York City and getting a job at Studio 54 where be becomes part of
"a love triangle with two married co-workers: Anita (Salma Hayek), a coat-check girl with dreams of disco diva-dom, and her husband, busboy Greg (Breckin Meyer)." He wants to be promoted to bartender, but refuses sex with his boss, the lascivious Rubell (Mike Myers). He, however, seduces or with anyone who can move him ahead, male or female, including a fling with Julie Black (Neve Campbell), a soap-opera star as he becomes 54's "It" boy, and betrays his friends in the process. It took a close call with death before he gets his life together.
There was a scene of Shane entering the club for the first time that Miramax loved and everything seemed fine. There was a good deal of homoeroticism and one of the key scenes, a kiss between two of the characters that was cut because it was considered too risqué for the mass-market crowds to which the studio hoped to appeal. Phillippe explains that this was bold for two male actors but they were proud of it. Now we will finally be able to see that kiss.
Christopher sent his rough edit to Miramax who wanted to do an audience test with the film and screened the film at a mall in Long Island. It went badly- the audience found the characters to be lost and they hated the kiss. The problem was that it was tested before an audience that had no sympathy for the lifestyle that is seen in the film. Miramax pressured the studio to tone down the film's gay content and use, and make the characters more likable. A Miramax editor was assigned to re-cut 54, and writers were hired create new scenes and an explanatory voiceover for Phillippe's character.
The film that went into the theaters had nothing about Shane's bisexuality and focus was shifted to a romance between him and the soap-opera star Julie Black, and alterations were made to make Shane more sympathetic. Christopher's story originally had Shane stealing money from the club but now Greg was the thief. There were more and more changes.
"The director's cut captures the freedom of the time," says Phillippe, "but also the impending sobriety that would come with AIDS. Now we see it as driven by characters. Now we just have to wait to see the film, as it should have been.
Review by Amos Lassen
By: Amos Lassen
"54"
The Resurrection
Amos Lassen
Just a few days ago I wrote a new review of the 1998 film, "54" but now there is more news about it. When it was first released, it did not do much at the boy office but now, strangely enough, it s bei...
Read More
"54"
The Resurrection
Amos Lassen
Just a few days ago I wrote a new review of the 1998 film, "54" but now there is more news about it. When it was first released, it did not do much at the boy office but now, strangely enough, it s being resurrected as a gay cult classic. It was shown this year at the Berlin Film Festival and it is the same film that received poor reviews but it also is a film that when made by director Mark Christopher was "a gritty, queer exploration of pre-AIDS hedonism." Miramax released the film and removed 30 minutes and almost sanitized beyond recognition". Ryan Phillippe who had the role of Shane said, "I've never seen this kind of editing and reshooting on another film I've done". Shane is a Jersey boy who was seduced by the club's sex--disco allure and he maintains, "The characters were fundamentally changed in a way that wasn't true to the original script. Not even close."
There were bootleg copies of the original film that were widely seen and circulated and those copies became cult favorites. Now a new digital release is planned for later in the year as well. The basic plot of the new release is the story of Shane as he leaves his New Jersey home and arrives in New York City and getting a job at Studio 54 where be becomes part of
"a love triangle with two married co-workers: Anita (Salma Hayek), a coat-check girl with dreams of disco diva-dom, and her husband, busboy Greg (Breckin Meyer)." He wants to be promoted to bartender, but refuses sex with his boss, the lascivious Rubell (Mike Myers). He, however, seduces or with anyone who can move him ahead, male or female, including a fling with Julie Black (Neve Campbell), a soap-opera star as he becomes 54's "It" boy, and betrays his friends in the process. It took a close call with death before he gets his life together.
There was a scene of Shane entering the club for the first time that Miramax loved and everything seemed fine. There was a good deal of homoeroticism and one of the key scenes, a kiss between two of the characters that was cut because it was considered too risqué for the mass-market crowds to which the studio hoped to appeal. Phillippe explains that this was bold for two male actors but they were proud of it. Now we will finally be able to see that kiss.
Christopher sent his rough edit to Miramax who wanted to do an audience test with the film and screened the film at a mall in Long Island. It went badly- the audience found the characters to be lost and they hated the kiss. The problem was that it was tested before an audience that had no sympathy for the lifestyle that is seen in the film. Miramax pressured the studio to tone down the film's gay content and use, and make the characters more likable. A Miramax editor was assigned to re-cut 54, and writers were hired create new scenes and an explanatory voiceover for Phillippe's character.
The film that went into the theaters had nothing about Shane's bisexuality and focus was shifted to a romance between him and the soap-opera star Julie Black, and alterations were made to make Shane more sympathetic. Christopher's story originally had Shane stealing money from the club but now Greg was the thief. There were more and more changes.
"The director's cut captures the freedom of the time," says Phillippe, "but also the impending sobriety that would come with AIDS. Now we see it as driven by characters. Now we just have to wait to see the film, as it should have been.
Review by Amos Lassen
By: Amos Lassen
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 addict. Myers delivers a bravura performance a...
Read More
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 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. 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.
Review by Amos Lassen
By: Amos Lassen
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 addict. Myers delivers a bravura performance a...
Read More
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 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. 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.