Saturday Night Fever Movie Review

Saturday Night Fever (1977)

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Written by: Nik Cohn (story), Norman Wexler (screenplay)
Directed by: John Badham
Starring: John Travolta, Karen Lynn Gorney, Barry Miller
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
Tony Manero is a teen from a blue collar family frustrated with life, his friends, and his inability to change it. Saturday nights when he's on the dance floor is the only time he can leave it all behind.

Verdict
This is more than just a dance movie. It's a stark look at a kid who dreams big, but can't escape the life he's in. It's really well directed. The dance numbers which admittedly aren't bad, overshadow the depth of the story.
It depends.

Review
It's much more pessimistic than I anticipated. Tony (John Travolta) isn't trying to escape his life, he's just trying to cope, be it flashy polyester suits or moves on the dance floor. His path in life is already carved out, but does he even realize it? I was expecting something between Dirty Dancing and Grease, but was pleasantly surprised. It's be no means a happy movie. Every character has a fairly sad arc.

This movie has a great opening, iconic and often parodied. In just the first few minutes it reveals it's more than a dance movie, belying the fact that Tommy's character is living a dream he can't afford. The themes still have relevance. This kid is immersed in pop culture, Farah Fawcett, Bruce Lee, and Rocky.
It's really well directed with a lot of style. Tommy and his friends are stuck in a blue collar world, wanting to get out. They're frustrated and you wonder if they even know why. As Stephanie tells Tony, "You're nowhere on your way to no place." Tony has a decent job at a paint store, but he has bigger dreams. At home his mother lauds his brother a priest. He's asked why he can't do something like that. When his brother quits the priesthood, his parents want to blame him.

Saturday Night Fever -More than just a dance movie.

While the movie delves into class, it's got a lot of dancing too. Travolta has moves. Tony wants to win a dance competition and ditches his partner for someone better, Stephanie. He falls for his new partner who had been involved with an older man. The acting is well done in this. When Tony meets Stephanie's ex, you know exactly how he feels without him having to say a word. Tony quit his job to help her move, chasing a girl that said she wasn't interested.

He gets his job back. As he looks at the other two employees, older men who have been toiling their lives away at the paint store, you wonder if Tony realizes where he's headed. He wants more but does he have any idea how to get out? The movie has a few of these really great subtle moments.
In one of the final scenes, one of Tony's friends Bobby is standing on the bridge railing. Bobby has become increasingly distressed after getting his girlfriend pregnant. I wondered if he would jump. If it wasn't him, it could be Annette who had just been assaulted.
Saturday Night Fever showcases Travolta's dancing and the soul crushing realizations of being stuck in an endless loop.