54 (1998) Miramax/Drama RT: 105 minutes (Director’s Cut) Rated R (strong sexuality, nudity, drug use and language) Director: Mark Christopher Screenplay: Mark Christopher Music: Marco Beltrami Cinematography: Alexander Gruszynski Release date: August 28, 1998 (US) Cast: Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, Neve Campbell, Mike Myers, Sela Ward, Breckin Meyer, Sherry Stringfield, Ellen Albertini Dow, Michael York, Lauren Hutton, Cameron Mathison, Noam Jenkins, Jay Goede, Heather Matarazzo, Skipp Sudduth, Aemilia Robinson, Thelma Hopkins. Box Office: $16.8M (US)
Rating: ***
There are three different versions of 54, writer-director Mark Christopher’s fictional account of the fall of Studio 54, the hottest disco in New York City in the late 70s. The theatrical cut, which opened to negative reviews and chilly public reception, is the studio version that underwent extensive rewrites and reshoots on the orders of Miramax head Harvey Weinstein. He demanded the removal of all the gay material, especially the scenes hinting at the main character’s bisexuality. Christopher wasn’t allowed in the editing room so he didn’t get to see the final cut (run time 93 minutes) prior to its release in August ’98. The second version, the Extended Cut, is just the theatrical version with seven minutes worth of extra scenes.
The Director’s Cut, the version I’m reviewing here, is 54 as Christopher intended it to be seen. He removed 30 minutes of studio reshoots and restored 45 minutes of original material. It’s a much darker film. Any notion that Studio 54 was a never-ending party will be dashed by this peek at what went on behind the scenes at the club, a hotspot that attracted celebrities from all walks of life. We’re talking actors and royalty dancing the night away side by side- e.g. Truman Capote, Andy Warhol and Princess Grace. It looks glamorous from the outside, but you know what they say about looks being deceiving.
The story is told from the perspective of Shane O’Shea (Phillippe, I Know What You Did Last Summer), a 19YO gas station attendant from Jersey City. He wants more out of life than his working class existence. One night, he and his friends drive over the river to the Big Apple. He’s the only one granted admittance to the super-exclusive club by owner Steve Rubell (Myers, Austin Powers), but only after he removes his shirt.
Shane loves what he sees and returns the next night despite the objections of his bigoted, conservative father (Sudduth, Ronin). Rubell hires him as a busboy and it isn’t long before he becomes something of a celebrity. He befriends fellow busboy Greg (Meyer, Clueless) and his wife, aspiring disco singer Anita (Hayek, Desperado). He moves in with them and considers them his new family.
Naturally, Shane gets caught up in all the decadence. He buys new clothes and an expensive car. He has sex with both men and women. He starts using drugs. He also has a brief encounter with Julie (Campbell, Wild Things), a soap opera star he has a crush on. Of course, it all comes crashing down due in equal parts to hubris and lack of intelligence. Also, the IRS raids the place and arrests Rubell for skimming money from the club’s nightly take. It was bound to happen. The man wasn’t exactly discreet about his misdeeds. That’s not a spoiler. It happened in real life albeit not as depicted in 54– i.e. the raid did NOT go down at the New Year’s Eve celebration.
There’s no question that the Director’s Cut of 54 is the better version. I’d even say it’s the definitive version. In his first solo feature film, Christopher bathes the hedonism in melancholy which robs the goings-on of any and all joy. We already know from the opening credits sequence that the protagonist’s time on the top is fleeting. It’s not going to last. The only one that doesn’t know it is Shane who’s too dim to think beyond the right here and right now.
In the lead role, Phillippe delivers a performance reminiscent of John Travolta from Saturday Night Fever and Mark Wahlberg from Boogie Nights. Shane is a not-too-bright guy from a working class neighborhood. He toils away at a dead end job. He’ constantly at odds with his father who doesn’t understand why he can’t just be satisfied with what he’s got. The friends he hangs out with every night at the local disco dive seem destined to stay rooted in their directionless lives. He finally breaks free of the life he’s always known to start a new one in a decadent world he never could have imagined. He becomes consumed by it to the point where he loses his moral compass. It’s Ryan’s best performance to date.
The most surprising performance in 54 comes from Myers in his first dramatic role. The Austin Powers star is perfectly cast as Steve Rubell, a weaselly sort who is nowhere near above using his power to demand sexual favors from his hunky male employees. When Greg refuses, telling him he’s not gay, Rubell just sighs and says “Labels.” He may be a powerful man (in the microcosm of Studio 54), but it doesn’t make him any less pathetic.
Campbell’s role in the Director’s Cut has been drastically reduced. What she has is essentially a glorified cameo. Her romance with Shane gets the heave-ho; it was never part of the original screenplay to begin with. The focus is on the love triangle between Shane, Greg and Anita. It’s a complicated relationship. Although he sees them as family, Shane still wants to get with Anita and vice versa. He also shares a kiss with Greg who gets increasingly jealous of his friend’s fondness for his wife. For her part, Anita is more interesting in getting her singing career off the ground then getting with either of the guys.
While better than the version that got released to theaters, this 54 still has flaws. Although the narrative flows more smoothly, it still has a few bumps. It has some pacing issues, especially in the second half. It mostly spins its wheels until the climax when the kingdom comes crashing down around the central characters. On the upside, Christopher doesn’t struggle with tone. It’s a non-stop party inside the club, but he manages to make it feel less joyous than it should be.
Some say it’s the music that makes the movie. That’s certainly true in many cases and 54 is one of them. The two-cassette soundtrack is a virtual cornucopia of disco tunes from the latter part of the 70s. It both sets the mood and provides a contrast for the melancholy.
I wouldn’t say 54 is one of the greatest 70s-set films of the 90s. That honor goes to Boogie Nights with Dazed and Confused running neck and neck. It’s still a good movie. It’s definitely bold with its open sexuality, especially as it pertains to LGBTQ+ stuff. It’s a travesty that Weinstein didn’t have the courage or foresight to allow 54 to be released in its original form. Thankfully, it found its way back to the public eye. It really is a fascinating look at a way of life (pre-AIDS) that no longer exists.
