Saturday Night Fever - A Movie Review

Better get dressed. We’re hitting up the city tonight.

Saturday Night Fever is a classic 1977 film. The film follows the story of Tony Manero, a Brooklyn teenager who’d rather party at night than make something of his life. Anxious about his future, Tony tries to escape reality by taking up dance at a local disco.

I’ve been told for a long time now that I must watch Saturday Night Fever. I liked it, and I also didn’t like it. Regarded as a cultural phenomenon, Saturday Night Fever is a defining moment in the disco era. While the movie has its merits, its themes don’t hold up to today’s standards, ruining an aspect of my watch.

John Travolta puts attitude, charm, and talented dancing into his role. Having no desire to do anything with his life, Tony spends most of his nights with his friends, flirting with women, and not much else. The character started to gain headway at the end, but he still wanted support from others.

The character of Tony was conducted wonderfully by Travolta. Disappearing into the role, there’s so much more to Tony than one thinks. He acts a certain way when inwardly, Tony is anxious to ask for help, thinking it will ruin his charismatic outer shell. Tony has several realizations as his friends obliviously continue in their merriment.

The ensemble of rebellious boys reminded me of the characters in Grease. Credits include Barry Miller, Joseph Cali, Paul Pape, and Martin Shaker. They’re all like Tony. Fooling around, eating disgustingly with their mouths open, and getting laid with women every night, they were annoying to listen to.

Masculinity is an abundant theme. That’s the primary aspect of the film that doesn’t hold up in today’s standards. Views on masculinity have changed. These boys objectify women based on their looks, thinking they’re allowed to be domineering.

I felt sorry for Annette (Donna Pascow) as that’s the entire basis of her character. Not only is she constantly teased by the boys, but she is also deemed ugly by them. Annette goes to extremes outside of her comfort level to be accepted.

Several characters had potential. At the beginning, Tony’s family had some focus, but then they vanish in the latter half. I wanted more scenes with Tony’s dad. That’s for a good reason. Tony is starting to make more of his own decisions.

Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gurney) was the best character. However, She wasn’t without her faults. Travolta and Gurney were wonderful in their scenes, especially when Gurney called Tony out on his dismissive actions. They made great dance partners.

Saturday Night Fever’s themes don’t hold up to today’s standards. A woman is taken advantage of in the back seat of a car. That was hard to watch. In addition, the film negatively portrays race and sexuality. You can’t change this. Society has changed over time. We’re still learning from these miscast views.

This movie knows what it’s projecting. Traveling back to the 70s, or the disco generation, John Badham made a film about looming adulthood. Being an adult scares Tony. We’re learning to grow up.

This movie has some redeeming qualities, thanks to Travolta’s performance. Some of my favorite moments were Tony taking a moment to reflect on his actions. These scenes were directed well, especially by Travolta.

Saturday Night Fever is a classic. In truth, it has lost its luster over time, but it was a fascinating look into the disco generation. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, however check out the movie on your next Saturday night.