I put off watching this for ages because I thought it would be a bit poncey what with all the dancing stuff. Boy was I wrong! It's disturbing, foul-mouthed, gritty and violent and has a kickass soundtrack to boot. That 18 certificate is well earned. A Tarantino-esque movie made when he probably hadn't started wearing big boy pants.
I have watched this before, years ago, but I (for good reason) must have completely supressed the last half hour, because these (two! one of them attempted) rape scenes towards the end were utterly distressing.
a lot of terrible in this, and the first half or 2/3rds will make you roll your eyes at the amount of terrible bs that tony and his friends do that the film glorifies, but the point of the film, to me, is that a) people who seem like they have it all together are experiencing their own problems that you may not be aware of, and b) we watch tony grow up, which, in order to properly show his growth, we need to see all of that terrible bs. it's still hard to sit through, but at least there's a purpose. tony's friend muttering "stupid bitch" is totally unnecessary, though. 70s filmmaking, man.
more than anything, though, the discotheque scenes are INCREDIBLE. somehow you don't see how lame this white nonsense must've been and you are transported to this world, and you get to see tony's bad family life contrasted to his life in the disco where he is a god. interesting stuff, and they shoot the disco scenes so well.
definitely worth a watch, keeping in mind this is 1977 and you're watching a time capsule. if you're the type who is passionate about this sort of thing, and find a lot of the things occurring in this film to be unsettling, i think it's important to watch films like this so that you can appreciate the progress that's been made. few films can top the contest-winning dance, and, especially, tony and stephanie's kiss, tony's dumb look on his face immediately afterwards, and then that huge smile. i mean, what beats that?
john travolta's dancing saves this whole film, and that's coming from someone who does not give a shit about dancing. the non-dancing scenes are subpar at best, but the discotheque scenes pull you right back in.
I saw this movie on TV as a boy doing my homework when my parents were watching. I'm sure it's a decent John Travolta classic. But I really dislike the '70s & disco.
Surprisingly is not really a movie about dance, it's an honest and raw depiction of rambunctious youth and class structure. It's a movie that would decimated in today's oversensitive culture though.
Often remembered as simply a disco movie, Saturday Night Fever is more than the sum of it's dancing & music. Sure there are missteps with the plot (what's going on with Frankie; coming home to leave again) & the adult themes that get touched on but aren't allowed to intrude too much. The location footage captures a Brooklyn & New York that, 40 years on, is now history.
Watching this with the Director's Commentary on is a blast too! So many great snippets on movie making, acting & also period social reference.
This movie is wrong in so many levels. The way they treat women is disturbing. I understand that sometimes young men can be stupid when it comes to the way to treat women, and we see that in some movies and tv shows, but what this movie does is just awful. The entire movie just glorifies misogyny as something that a man must do do actually be a man. Also, xenophobic in some scenes. And the final scene is so disturbing. Besides, there's no plot in this movie. It really goes nowhere. I really can not understand the appeal for this movie.
It’s a classic movie. You should watch focusing on the dances and the amazing soundtracks. There are some disturbing scenes of course not tolerated nowadays and knowing that everything will be fine at the end. Enjoy!
An average film, where the dance scenes stand out as the strong point. The characters are interesting, each with their own complexity, but the story is hampered by the lack of focus on the main plot, ending abruptly and without much meaning. It's also important to mention that the film is biased.
A movie that hasn't aged well. Racism, misogyny, homophobia... I still think that a good movie could come from it cutting out all the problematic parts.
EDIT: watching it again 2 years later because of the new 4k UHD and I like it more.
I'm surprised by my PC comment. The 70s grittiness is what not make it a cheesy disco movie.
Love this movie! I remember watching this as a child and being enchanted with John Travolta and I still am! This movie isn’t so much about dancing but about a young man trying to outrun the mundane of life.... so he works all week and blows it at the disco club on Saturday night with his friends. It highlights relationships, friendships and family. Travoltas dancing is the icing on the cake! Great movie highlighting the disco craze of the 70’s. iconic soundtrack will have you grooving all night!
Boy that sure brings back memories. Notice I didn't say fond memories. Such a goofy fad. :-P
Shout by Rafael PiresBlockedParent2017-07-23T14:30:12Z
Misoginy, rape, sexism, homophobia, sexual harassment and racism. This movie has it all, except a good plot. Worst movie ever.