54(1998)- User Reviews

I really enjoyed watching this film (54)! From the costumes to the scenery, this film did a great job of capturing the 1970s and the history of Studio 54.

The acting in this film was great. Ryan Phillippe really shined in his role as Shane O'Shea- a New Jersey kid who gets a job in the club and gradually works his way up from busboy to barman, getting more money, drugs and sex than he can handle. Through Phillippe’s character, the story of the famous NYC Nightclub is told and he does a great job of doing it. Also, excellent efforts on Selma Hayek’s (Traffic and Once Upon A Time In Mexico) and Breckin Meyer’s (Road Trip and Garfield) were made. Hayek played Anita Randazzo, a woman trying to become a famous singer, and Meyer played Greg Randazzo- a guy trying to move his way up in Studio 54; trying to have more influence and importance.

As I said, the film did an excellent job at recreating the scenery of the club and the time period. The outfits were amazing, the camera work was excellent, and the scenery of Studio 54 did justice to the direction of the film, which I feel was to describe it as sort of a dream or surreal place to be. Visuals of the film were great.

The film was near flawless; however the film did have its downsides. For one thing, Mike Meyer’s role in the film was not all that great. His character, Steve Rubell, was supposed to be a man of great influence/power. With the way the role was written and the how Meyer’s played it, I just was not feeling it. Also, I didn’t get the importance of Neve Campbell’s role as Julie Black. She’s listed as a major player in the film, however you barely see her in the film. Disco Dottie, played by Ellen Albertini Dow (The Wedding Singer, Road Trip) had more importance than Black.

Overall, I’d give this film a B+- very memorable, excellent visuals, and great acting!