The Last Days of Disco (1998)

Story of two female Manhattan book editors fresh out of college, both finding love and themselves while frequenting the local disco.

Director:

Whit Stillman

Writer:

Whit Stillman

Stars:

Chloë Sevigny, Kate Beckinsale, Chris Eigeman

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chloë Sevigny	...	Alice
Kate Beckinsale	...	Charlotte
Chris Eigeman	...	Des
Mackenzie Astin	...	Jimmy
Matt Keeslar	...	Josh
Robert Sean Leonard	...	Tom
Jennifer Beals	...	Nina
Matt Ross	...	Dan (as Matthew Ross)
Tara Subkoff	...	Holly
Burr Steers	...	Van
David Thornton	...	Bernie
Jaid Barrymore	...	Tiger Lady
Sonsee Neu	...	Diana (as Sonsee Ahray)
Edoardo Ballerini	...	Victor
Scott Beehner	...	Adam

Storyline

Last Days of Disco loosely depicts the "last days" at a disco palace, where drugs, sex and weirdness ran rampant. The story centers around a group of friends who frequent the disco and each other. All the characters are searching for something to make their lives more fulfilling. Some are searching for everlasting love and some are just wanting something different. As the disco is closed, they all wonder can disco ever really be dead?

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Plot Keywords:

disco | love | drugs | book | friend | 

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Taglines:

History is made at night.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some elements involving sexuality and drugs

Details

Official Sites:

Castle Rock / Gramercy

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 May 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

A diszkó végnapjai

Filming Locations:

Jersey City, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£93,255 (UK) (4 September 1998)

Gross:

£388,903 (UK) (25 September 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castle Rock Entertainment, Polygram Filmed Entertainment, Westerly Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chloë Sevigny was cast in the role of Alice Kinnon on recommendation of film editor Christopher Tellefsen who had edited her performance in the movie Kids. Tellefsen edited both Whit Stillman's Metropolitan and Barcelona.

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Goofs

As the two girls arrive in a taxi and are allowed to enter the disco, they change places between shots after the doorman lets them in.

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Quotes

Charlotte Pingress: Maybe in physical terms I'm a little cuter than you, but you should be much more popular than I am.

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Connections

References Lady and the Tramp (1955)

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Soundtracks

"Carry Go Bring Come"
Written by Justin Hines
Performed by Justin Hines and The Dominoes
Courtesy of Island Records, Inc.
By Arrangement with PolyGram Film & TV Music

User Reviews

Witty Movie about Wasp-y relationships in early 1980s

Well, before you see this, ask yourself if you either: a) want to engorge yourself with lengthy witty banter, or b) see a Wasp-y version of the weaving of people in and out of relationships like Seinfeld or Woody Allen but with a bigger cast? If your answer is yes, this is your movie. If not, not.

This movie is FAR more like Stillman's others (Metropolitan and Barcelona) than like anything you've seen about disco - which is simply the background. I was surprised that these yuppie characters were so freely admitted to Studio 54 (the set of the film), but perhaps it indicates disco's waning popularity by the early 1980s.

I enjoyed it very much - but it's not everyone's cup of tea.