Search - 54 on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Profanity, Substance Abuse Movie Release: 1998 DVD Release: 08/17/1999 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 33 mins Studio: Miramax Members Wishing: 7 Genres: Drama, Period Film, Urban Drama, Ensemble Film

Mark Christopher wrote and directed this look back at the Disco Era when the popular Studio 54 was at its apogee in the late '70s. With obvious comparisons to Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights (1997) and Whit Stillman's The Last Days of Disco (1998), the story introduces working-class 19-year-old Irish-American Shane O'Shea (Ryan Phillippe), who has lived with his father and siblings since the death of his mother when he was 12. Shane quickly rises from busboy to bartender at Studio 54, co-owned and managed in a paternal manner by entrepreneur Steve Rubell (Mike Myers). Busboy Greg Randazzo (Breckin Meyer) and Greg's wife, Anita (Salma Hayek), the club's coat check girl, become Shane's new friends, and he encounters the possibility of romance with soap star Julie Black (Neve Campbell). The story spans the summer of 1979 until the decline of Studio 54 a year later with IRS investigations, followed by the arrest and jailing of Rubell. Costumes by Ellen Lutter capture the glitter and glam-glitz of the period. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Ryan Phillippe - Shane O'Shea
Salma Hayek - Anita
Neve Campbell - Julie Black
Mike Myers - Steve Rubell
Sela Ward - Billie Auster

Mark Christopher's look at the infamous nightclub Studio 54 comes to DVD with a widescreen transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1. There are neither subtitles nor closed-captions on this release. Supplemental materials include a music video. Considering the fact that the film failed to find an audience in theaters, it would have been smart to include some documentary materials about the time and place. The highlight of the film, Mike Myers' performance, works just as well on the small screen as it did in theaters. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide