# 54 (1998)

### reviewed by
Chad Polenz

    54

Chad'z rating: ** (out of 4 = fair/below average)

1998, R, 95 minutes [1 hour, 35 minutes]

    [drama]

Starring: Ryan Phillippe (Shane O'Shea), Mike Myers (Stevie Rubell), Salma Hayek (Anita), Neve Campbell (Julie Black); produced by Ira Deutchman, Richard N. Gladstein, Dolly Hall; written and directed by Mark Christopher.

Seen August 30, 1998 at 6:45 p.m. at Rotterdam Square Mall Cinema 6 (Rotterdam, NY), with Renée Gentile for free using my Sony/Loews critic's pass. [theater rating: ***: good seats, picture, and sound]

Some films from the last few years have had simple stories and plot actions, but have succeeded as fascinating pieces of film-making. Just the opposite is true of "54," in which a large amount of action happens, and yet by the end, nothing interesting has happened. It's the most commotion a film can make without saying anything at all.

Right from the opening it's clear the film doesn't want to make much of an effort at detail, setting, or other such elements necessary to flesh-out an atmosphere that a story like this should have. The time is the late 1970s where the world seems to be in crisis, but everyone is partying like there's no tomorrow. We only learn this through a quick montage and voice-over by the main character Shane (Phillippe), a young stud from New Jersey (complete with token accent) who lives across the river from New York City where he dreams of going to make it big.

But the film is not really Shane's story, it's the story of "Studio 54," an infamous nightclub where anyone who is anyone is seen, from celebrities, to artists, and all the regular, everyday people who are fortunate enough to be hand-picked by the club's director, Stevie Rubell (Myers). Shane tells us Rubell somehow built the club from the ground up, and managed to make it THE place to be. But here's the first of the film's many holes - how did Rubell manage to gain such an reputation from the club? Why does he claim it's a place where the common can disco with the elite on the dance floor as equals when he refuses to let the most common people in the door?

Shane was one of those fortunate enough to be picked by Rubell because of his image and attitude. Of course his dorky friends aren't allowed in, but after initially defending them, he has a change of heart and almost instantly turns into the Studio 54-type where all that matters is the glamour in the midst of the anarchy. Nothing really surprising is going on at this club, so what if people are doing drugs and having sex out in the open? I'm sure that was quite shocking at the time, but the way writer/director Mark Christopher tells it, it's brushed off as no big deal.

What is a big deal is the money flow. Shane is hired as a busboy and quickly learns the club is run the way the mob might run a casino, where everyone skims off the top and moves cash around in secretive manners. As if the script hadn't been generic enough, Phillippe's monotone narration makes it bland and boring to make sure there's not much shock value. But this contradicts what seems to be the entire point of the film - to shock us with the outrageousness that went on there (this is supposedly based on a true story), but there's no hook to the delivery.

The film does try to expand by occasionally going off on tangents to define some of the other characters such as fellow busboy Greg (Breckin Meyer) and his coat-checking wife Anita (Hayek), who let Shane shack up with them for a while. What's surprising is the fact no cheesy love triangles come into play. Shane and Anita become good friends, but their friendship is just as corny and poorly-acted as a teen melodrama. Everyone's constantly hugging and of course hanky-panky is suspected, haven't we seen this all before?

Approximately 80 of the 95 minutes are completely conflict-free. What we get is a collage of scenes at the club that have very little significance to anything. When things start to slow down Shane miraculously stumbles upon another of 54's secrets such as the basement room where celebrities hang out. Shane himself wonders how Rubell could make a dirty old room underground the place to be for the glitterite, but we never get much of an explanation. Maybe because everyone's too high on drugs to think care - that explains it!

Not until the last act, which last about 15 minutes does anything remotely complicated happen. Rubell is busted by the IRS for tax evasion, but it's amazing they took as long to shut the place down as they did. But the final scene is a happy one, so at least we don't have to go home sad.

I'm sure there's a message to "54," but how we're supposed to find it in the midst of such a mess is beyond me. Maybe it's that having too much fun can be hazardous to your health, but I think this film confuses fun with stupidity.

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    e-mail: ChadPolenz@aol.com
    (C) 1998 Chad Polenz

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