Funkytown (2011)

1976. Montreal. Eight people who wanted to see and be seen at the trendiest disco will be juggling fame and anonymity until they will be forced to make sober choices in an era when excess was the norm, and when disco was king.

Director:

Daniel Roby

Writers:

Steve Galluccio, Simon Trottier (created by)

Stars:

Patrick Huard, Justin Chatwin, Paul Doucet

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Patrick Huard	...	Bastien Lavallée
Justin Chatwin	...	Tino DeiFiori
Paul Doucet	...	Jonathan Aaronson
Sarah Mutch	...	Adriana
Raymond Bouchard	...	Gilles Lefebvre
Geneviève Brouillette	...	Mimi
François Létourneau	...	Daniel Lefebvre
Sophie Cadieux	...	Hélène
Romina D'Ugo	...	Tina LoMonaco
Jocelyne Zucco	...	Nicole
Janine Theriault	...	Connie Lavallée
Camille Pennell	...	Cynthia Lavallée
Dominic Longo	...	Carlo
Vince Benvenuto	...	Jason
Lina Roessler	...	Sabrina

Storyline

Set in Montreal during the disco phenomenon some 35 years ago, Funkytown follows the life of a group of colorful characters. We follow their lives and tribulations as everyone converges on a regular basis at Montreal's hot disco spot: Starlight. Along the way, several events take place that change these characters' lives. As these characters' lives unfold, the Parti Québécois takes power changing the cultural landscape in Quebec while the disco craze slowly fades. While we keep up with these various characters - it is Bastien who is a central part of this story. His drug addiction, dreams to become an actor and womanizing - make him the "bigger than life" typical 70s character around which the whole story revolves.

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Plot Keywords:

disco | 1970s | jaguar f type | cheating husband | suicide | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

French English Hebrew

Release Date:

4 March 2011 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Funky Town

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$7,200,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

CAD 384,413 (Canada), 31 January 2011

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC),Caramel Film,Quebec Film and Television Tax Credit

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Producer Simon Trottier comprehensively researched Montreal's late 1970s and early 1980s disco scene. In 2009 he approached director Daniel Roby about making a dramatic feature film about it.

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Goofs

"Disco Dance Party" is a French-language television show. When Jonathan hosts the program in English, there are no subtitles.

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Connections

References Saturday Night Fever (1977)

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Soundtracks

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood / Esmeralda Suite
Written by Gloria Caldwell, Sol Marcus and Bennie Benjamin / Raymond Donnez, Jean-Manuel de Scarano and Nicolas Skorsky (as Donnez, Skorsky & De Scarano)
Performed by Santa Esmeralda
Courtesy of Music Sales Corporation o/b/o Premiere Music Group / Universal Music S.A. Division Mercury (France)
Under license from Universal Music Enteprises

User Reviews

Better than other reviews suggest

Indeed, Funkytown is centered around a fictitious Montreal discotheque, Starlight, and the record industry in separatist Quebec during the late 1970's. Yes, many hits from the 1970's disco era are featured, albeit, as covers which helped keep production costs down. One song featured is by Boney M - Daddy Cool - a song I had never heard of until this movie. It turns out, it was a number one hit in many European countries but not in the U.S.

Most of the main characters are unsympathetic to the other characters which is supposed to reflect the me-ism of the 1970s.

The production for this film was rather good and, overall, I enjoyed this movie, and I truly believe this film is better than Boogie Nights.