Definitely lives up to the hype!

Rating: 9/10 (10 May 2004)

This was my first time watching the movie, and I was more than impressed! I was curious about checking it out, since I love the music that the movie is associated with and I like John Travolta. But aside from the great music and Travolta's winning performance, "Saturday Night Fever" is a realistic, well-written, character-driven film that is unlike no other. Travolta's character isn't perfectly sympathetic, but there's nothing wrong with that. He still has a very human side to him that he's simply afraid to show since he grew up in a tough part of Brooklyn, surrounded by the unrelenting machismo (and misogynism) of his closest friends. I kept getting frustrated whenever he wouldn't agree to go out with Donna Pescow's character, who is likable and pretty, but it made sense in terms of his character's motivations. With many movies nowadays that involve a guy pursuing a girl who is out of his league while giving the cold shoulder to the girl who has wanted him along, the guy eventually falls in love with the latter girl. It makes the audience happy, under most circumstances, but that's not how it always goes in real life. This movie doesn't contain any sentimental contrivances, and ends on a tragic note.
Despite the fact that this was a landmark film of the 70's, I don't feel it has shown its age. I enjoyed the dance sequences, mostly featuring the great songs of The Bee Gees. And though Travolta was a sex symbol during this decade, he showed that he was much more than a pretty face.
My score: 9 (out of 10)