Director/choreographer Bob Fosse tells his own life story as he details the sordid career of Joe Gideon, a womanizing, drug-using dancer.Director/choreographer Bob Fosse tells his own life story as he details the sordid career of Joe Gideon, a womanizing, drug-using dancer.Director/choreographer Bob Fosse tells his own life story as he details the sordid career of Joe Gideon, a womanizing, drug-using dancer.
- Won 4 Oscars
- 11 wins & 14 nominations total
Videos2
Irene Kane
- Leslie Perryas Leslie Perry
- (as Chris Chase)
Susan Brooks
- Stacyas Stacy
- (as Sue Paul)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- See more cast details at IMDbPro
Storyline
Joe Gideon is a Broadway director, choreographer and filmmaker, he in the process of casting the chorus and staging the dance numbers for his latest Broadway show, starring his ex-wife Audrey Paris in what is largely a vanity project for her in playing a role several years younger than her real age, and editing a film he directed on the life of stand-up comic Davis Newman. Joe's professional and personal lives are intertwined, he a chronic philanderer, having slept with and had relationships with a series of dancers in his shows, Victoria Porter, who he hired for the current show despite she not being the best dancer, in the former category, and Kate Jagger, his current girlfriend, in the latter category. That philandering has led to relationship problems, with Audrey during their marriage, and potentially now with Kate who wants a committed relationship with Joe largely in not wanting the alternative of entering the dating world again. Joe also lives a hard and fast life, he chain smoking, drinking heavily, listening to hard driving classical music and popping uppers to keep going. In addition to pressures from investors and meeting film deadlines above and beyond his own self-induced hard life, he is teetering on the brink physically and emotionally. With Kate, Audrey, and his and Audrey's teenage daughter Michelle looking over him as best they can, Joe flirts with "Angelique" in the process, he potentially succumbing to her if he doesn't listen to them or what his body is telling him. —Huggo
- Taglines
- All that work. All that glitter. All that pain. All that love. All that crazy rhythm. All that jazz.
- Genres
- Certificate
- K-16
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaRichard Dreyfuss was originally cast in the role of Joe Gideon but left the production during the rehearsal stage, citing a lack of confidence in the production. He later admitted that he made a mistake in passing up the chance to work with Bob Fosse.
- GoofsIn a closeup of the back of Joe's head during Bye, Bye Love number, a large strip of Scotch tape is inexplicably running across back of his head.
- Quotes
Dancer Backstage: Fuck him! He never picks me!
Dancer Backstage: Honey, I *did* fuck him and he never picks me either.
- Crazy creditsThere are no opening credits, only the company credits and the title, which resemble revolving Broadway lights.
- SoundtracksOn Broadway
(1963)
Written by Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller
Performed by George Benson
Courtesy of Warner Bros Records, Inc.
Top review
A dance with Death...
Bob Fosse's autobiographical look at the hectic life of a Broadway director/choreographer rehearsing a new show in New York City while concurrently editing his latest movie. Roy Scheider fabulously stands in for Fosse; as Joe Gideon, pill-popping, womanizing, self-destructive genius on the verge of collapse, it is Scheider's shining moment as an actor. Fosse paints himself as suspicious, paranoid, driven, indifferent, exhausted and horny. It's more than most of us want to know about the man, who seems intent on showing us what a creep he is...but a talented creep! The film doesn't particularly look good (it's a gray movie), though it has amazing musical flourishes and the self-styled bombast is actually rather amusing once you get the idea. Jessica Lange is beautiful in an early role as the Angel of Death (imagine Fosse explaining that role to her!), and Scheider's performance is really something to see (only occasionally does the camera catch him not knowing what to do). Fosse tries hard not to be pretentious, he keeps things playful and perky, and his ironic ending is bitterly funny. The film is alive and ticking--but that's not Fosse's heart, it's a time bomb. *** from ****
helpful•299
- moonspinner55
- Oct 22, 2005
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Showtime
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $12,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $37,823,676
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $86,229
- Dec 25, 1979
- Gross worldwide
- $37,823,676
- Runtime2 hours 3 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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