A film about a dumb guy whose shallowness reaches amazing depths!

Rating: 6/10 (3 July 2009)

I think that your opinion about Saturday NIGHT FEVER may have a lot to do with your age. People who were of age during the Disco Age probably will love it. Older or younger people may feel less impressed. As for me, I was rather young during this disco craze and thought that the gold chains and unbuttoned polyester shirts were all pretty tacky--so the film doesn't hold the same wonderful nostalgic memory it might for others--though I will admit that I liked the music (yes, folks, it's true--I am so uncool that I actually like disco).
As for the film, it is unusual in structure in that much of it is like a very prolonged music video. While this sort of film is more common today, in 1977 it must have been revolutionary to have such a meandering film that isn't always plot-driven. What was also unusual is that unlike most films, the main character is amazingly stupid and shallow--his friends are even worse. For Tony Manero (John Travolta), what matters most to him in life is his hair, his clothes and disco--and little else. As for his friends, their priorities would be drugs, sex, date rape, driving like idiots and disco. Not exactly a group of Einsteins, eh? This is a problem for folks like me, as I have a hard time really getting into a picture if I don't like anyone. My only emotional connection was feeling sad for the desperate women with low self-esteem that actually cared about this shallow guy or his obnoxious friends. Otherwise, I just didn't care about what happened to anyone--including his slap-happy family!
While it probably sounds like I hated the film, there were some things I did like or at least respect. As I mentioned above, the music was nice--with one of the best soundtracks in movie history. While no one today admits to liking disco (other than nuts like me), it did produce the biggest-selling soundtracks in history. Plus, while I didn't love all the dancing, I sure could respect all the work that went into choreographing it and making it look so effortless. What Travolta and the rest did to get ready for the film is incredible. I just wish, however, that the film was less like the prolonged music video and was more plot-driven at times or had greater importance than "who will be Tony's new dance partner?"! Of course, this shallowness might actually be a great metaphor for the era--an era typified by loud clothes, drugs, sex without consequences and Studio 54.
Overall, an interesting time capsule hindered by characters that are mostly low-lifes and co-dependents.
At one point in the film, Tony muses "there are ways of killing yourself without killing yourself". Wow, such amazing depth to his utter shallowness!