THE REWATCHABLES · December 7, 2021
A 1977 drama / music directed by John Badham, covered in the complete Rewatchables archive.
ON THIS EPISODE
FROM THE CONVERSATION
WHY IT WORKS
WHAT DID NOT WORK
SCENES THEY KEPT COMING BACK TO
Tony struts through Brooklyn with paint and pizza as ‘Stayin’ Alive’ plays, establishing the movie’s iconic energy.
About 24 minThe household chaos, with parents and Tony hitting each other and arguing over respect and money, is praised as realistic.
Opening minutesTony and friends hit the disco and the movie signals that the floor is where they feel powerful.
About 32 minTravolta’s extended solo dance becomes the movie’s signature showpiece.
About 32 minTheir first serious conversation about class and dead-end lives is praised as sharp and well acted.
About 40 minThe final competition and Tony’s moral gesture are interesting, but the dancing itself feels underwhelming.
About 32 minThe bridge imagery is treated as an important visual symbol of the distance between Bay Ridge and Manhattan.
About 24 minHer brief appearance is treated as a standout heat-check moment in the nightclub.
About 32 minWHERE THEY DISAGREED
Jimmy KimmelIt’s really about losers trapped in Bay Ridge whose only transcendence is the club.
Bill SimmonsThe disco label is only the surface; the home life and dead-end reality are the key part.
Bill SimmonsHe wonders whether the filmmakers knew these guys were awful or treated them as normal.
Jimmy KimmelHe suggests the movie is at least partly aware of the ugliness and social dynamics.
Bill SimmonsHe leans toward Travolta over Richard Dreyfuss.
Jimmy KimmelHe first says Woody Allen should have won, then flips and says Travolta over Dreyfuss.
Bill SimmonsHe wants the final competition to be stronger and more dramatic.
Jimmy KimmelHe also thinks it should have been better and the dancers should have been more impressive.
Bill SimmonsYes, because it is so bizarre and contains an extremely funny opening stretch.
Jimmy KimmelHe also seems entertained by its absurdity rather than wishing it never existed.
He calls it a classic and a rewatchable, but one with extremely dated and disturbing material.
Opening minutesHe treats it as a time capsule about losers in Bay Ridge whose only greatness happens on the dance floor.
Opening minutesHe argues the opening walk with pizza and the ‘Stayin’ Alive’ music is one of the movie’s defining moments.
About 24 minHe sees Tony as a guy with no path out, defined by work, family misery, and brief disco greatness.
Opening minutesHe says Travolta is a uniquely gifted star whose performance transformed him into a movie icon.
Opening minutesHe thinks the final contest should have been better and is underwhelming compared with the central solo dance scene.
About 32 minHe says the mid-movie solo dance is the peak of the movie and one of the 70s’ most iconic scenes.
About 32 minHe says the dinner-table dysfunction feels authentic to Italian-family life in Brooklyn.
Opening minutesHe calls the sequel one of the worst ever, even while conceding that it exists as a weird cultural artifact.
About 32 minHe says her Annette performance is excellent and emotionally grounded.
About 16 minHe treats the soundtrack as all-time great and argues it remains fully listenable today.
About 40 minHe describes the final act’s assault as shocking and a major reason the film has aged badly.
About 8 minTony’s job, home life, and lack of prospects frame the movie as a story about people with nowhere to go except the dance floor.
Opening minutesDisco is portrayed as the one place Tony and his friends feel powerful and seen, even if only for a few hours.
Opening minutesThe movie is discussed as part of the era’s gritty New York film cycle, with authentic neighborhood texture.
About 16 minThe episode repeatedly notes the film’s ugly treatment of women, especially in the last act.
About 8 minThey emphasize how the movie and soundtrack helped create a massive pop-culture machine through Travolta, the Bee Gees, and Robert Stigwood.
About 24 minThe movie was released in 1977 and made John Travolta a superstar while boosting the Bee Gees.
About 8 minThe first mainstream Hollywood use of the word ‘blowjob’ is said to be in this movie.
About 1:04The movie was re-released in a heavily edited PG version in 1979.
About 8 minThe production used a Steadicam and was filmed largely on location in Brooklyn.
About 1:12The soundtrack sold over 20 million copies and was a massive commercial force.
About 24 minRobert Stigwood aggressively controlled the Bee Gees songs and helped maximize the soundtrack’s value.
About 1:12Donna Pescow had to audition multiple times and was reportedly considered too pretty until she gained weight.
About 1:04Karen Lynn Gorney later said people confused her with Stephanie Mangano after the film.
About 1:04Bill plugs the HBO documentary series and its archive-heavy film about Saturday Night Fever’s era.
Opening minutesUsed as a benchmark for the 1970s reshaping modern blockbusters.
About 8 minUsed as another benchmark for 1970s movie history.
About 8 minMentioned as part of the loaded 1977 film year.
About 8 minReferenced as another key 1977 release and an Oscar contender.
About 8 minUsed to describe Travolta’s earlier star status and the appeal of Vinnie Barbarino.
About 16 minMentioned as an early Travolta TV movie that helped make him notable.
About 8 minUsed as the other major pillar of Travolta’s stardom and as a comparison for Apex Mountain.
About 24 minReferenced in the Best Actor Oscar discussion.
About 24 minReferenced in the Best Original Song category.
About 24 minUsed as an example of a successful parody that includes a Saturday Night Fever riff.
About 48 minUsed to describe gritty New York movie realism.
About 16 minAnother example of 1970s distressed New York cinema.
About 16 minUsed during a side conversation about TV openings and Ernie Barnes art.
About 1:12Referenced as a movie whose TV-edited version is painful.
About 48 minBill says he and a friend used this as a nickname for their penises for years.
About 40 minBill does a comic Brooklyn-accent impression while discussing the film’s New York authenticity.
About 56 minJimmy tells an unrelated but lengthy story about trying to host a fundraiser for Red Foxx.
About 32 minBill treats Tony’s complaint about his hair being hit as a memorable line and repeated joke.
About 48 minThey quote small bits from the club sequences and crowd interaction as part of the movie’s texture.
About 32 min“You hit my hair.”About 48 min
“You're nowhere on your way to no place.”About 40 min
“I promise I won't rape you.”About 8 min
“Give the kids some room.”About 32 min
“Maybe if it was the Beatles or something”About 24 min
MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Three movies to watch before Saturday Night Fever, and three to watch next.
ON THE MIC
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