Travolta's Finest Hour

Rating: 8/10 (15 June 2009)

This ode to the 70s, dancing, and Saturday night went down in movie history with a Oscar-nominated performance by John Travolta and one of the best movie soundtracks ever, courtesy of the Bee Gees. It also gave Donna Pescow's career a boost as a girl who throws herself at Tony, and look closely for "The Nanny" Fran Drescher and Lisa Peluso of "Loving" fame.
But those who rent this and see this for the first time and are expecting a high time may be disappointed or may be pleasantly surprised, depending on your point of view. The writer of this must have been inspired (at least I think so) by "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning" with Albert Finney. This time around it's New York in the 70s and Tony lives to dance on Saturday night. Tony's plight is really no different than anybody else's.
Because his day-to-day life is mundane, he tries to forget his troubles and breakout and break dance on Saturday night. Travolta's performance as a dreamer is buoyed by his conversations with his girl, how he talks of the bridge, and his sad, baby blue eyes which express a deeper yearning for something he can't quite put into words. By the end, he learns the harsh reality of responsibility and how our actions (or lack thereof) has consequences. He learns that living on a Saturday night is not rewarding in the long run.
"Saturday Night Fever" is compelling in showing life in 70s New York, but it tends to sag in the middle and while its inevitable ending is needed for a sobering wakeup call to reality and may be uplifting to a degree, it goes out with a whimper instead of bang. But, then again, that may be the movie's intention - not to leave with a disco move on the dance floor, but with Tony moving towards manhood.