This Was It . . .

Rating: 4/10 (2 September 2002)

. . . the flick that made "John Travolta," a household name. Looking at this late 70s film in 2002, it's easy to see why this happened.
"Saturday Night Fever" offers an extremely impressive "guido" type characterization by Travolta. He's not only got the handsome Italianesque features (complete with clef chin) great bod and sensual manner, but also displays brilliant disco dancing and strong acting skills.

Travolta's solid work dominates a film which, unfortunately is a mixed bag. Great 70s music, pulsating disco scenes, and a potential paean to teen under-achievers, is mildly defeated by a director and editor with apparently limited abilities or vision.
Director John Badham allows the film to fall apart, as Editor David Rawlins sloppily cuts, splices and fades in odd manners. True, the original version is much more coherent (and the ten minutes excised in an attempting a PG rating further undermines its continuity).
But Writers Nik Cohn and Norman Wexler also seem to run out of steam, not quite knowing just where they want their story to go, or exactly what kind of statement they want to make. The result is more murky confusion than inventive surprise, and the viewer is left with decidedly mixed feelings.
It's interesting to note that, to date, "Saturday Night Fever" represents Travolta's career peak. Not that he hasn't tried in a long line of subsequent films, and one appreciates his hard-working efforts (with his total career being financially very successful). Still, his work in this film has guaranteed that the name, "Travolta," is forever enshrined in the annals of Hollywood history.