An anthology film retelling the story of the famous Studio 54, a hot disco hangout for the social elite of New York. The movie follows several characters at once, some of whom are in desperate straits and on the verge of crashing.Written by
Laurence Mixson
Mark Christopher turned in his original cut in early 1998. Studio reaction to this rough cut was very positive, but two preview screenings in Long Island, New York proved disastrous. Audiences complained that none of the characters were likable, and found much of the gay content uncomfortable. In particular, the kiss between Ryan Phillippe and Breckin Meyer yielded a negative reaction, with viewers complaining that neither actor seemed comfortable in the scene. Miramax head Harvey Weinstein ordered extensive re-shoots to alter the plot, removing most references to Phillipe's character's bisexuality, expanding Neve Campbell's role as a love interest, and adding a new ending. Ultimately, the film didn't fare better with critics or audiences, and Christopher's original cut became something of a legend among film enthusiasts. Bootleg copies of the Director's Cut circulated for years, before an official announcement in 2015 of an official release. See more »
Goofs
Many of the newspaper articles that are shown quickly are not the actual articles that match the headlines. The New Yorker article about Rubbell's arrest begins accurately, but the main body is an advice column. Two articles have identical copy. Some articles have blatant writing errors, such as misspelled words, missing hyphens, uncapped letters, etc. One article calls the Drug Enforcement Administration the "Drug Enforcement Administrative." See more »
Quotes
Shane O'Shea:
[voiceover]
A guy named Steve Rubell had a dream: To throw the best damned party the world had ever seen and to make it last forever. He built a world where fantasy was put up as reality and where an 80-year-old disco queen could dance till dawn. Where models mingled with mechanics, plumbers danced with princes. It was a place where all labels were left behind. A place where there were no rules.
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I Need A Man
Performed by Grace Jones
Written by Pierre Papadiamandis (as P. Papadiamondis), Paul Slade (as P. Slade)
Courtesy of Island Records, Inc.
By Arrangement with PolyGram Film & TV Music See more »
It's unknown to me why this movie got such a bad review from critics. There are alot of factual errors about the club, yes. But this seemed to be a great movie. Mike Myers was an excellent pick for Steve Rubell, he had the same personality as Rubell in the movie.
Another thing is the story is so interesting about Studio 54, it was a fad, hip, and unusual place for it's time. Not only that, the story of the controversial club is one that really is unknown to some.
The story might not be dead on accurate, and some of the characters might be factual, and there could be alot of mistakes in the movie, but it's still a great one to watch when you get past it.
I would suggest watching VH-1's Behind The Music on Studio 54 first before seeing the movie, for a clear understanding on the club. That way you don't get freaked out.
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It's unknown to me why this movie got such a bad review from critics. There are alot of factual errors about the club, yes. But this seemed to be a great movie. Mike Myers was an excellent pick for Steve Rubell, he had the same personality as Rubell in the movie.
Another thing is the story is so interesting about Studio 54, it was a fad, hip, and unusual place for it's time. Not only that, the story of the controversial club is one that really is unknown to some.
The story might not be dead on accurate, and some of the characters might be factual, and there could be alot of mistakes in the movie, but it's still a great one to watch when you get past it.
I would suggest watching VH-1's Behind The Music on Studio 54 first before seeing the movie, for a clear understanding on the club. That way you don't get freaked out.