54 is a 1998 American drama film written and directed by Mark Christopher. Starring Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, Neve Campbell, and Mike Myers, the film focuses on the rise and fall of Studio 54, a famous nightclub in New York City during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Prior to its release in the United States on August 28, 1998, by Miramax Films, the film was extensively reshot and recut; it ultimately opened to poor critical reaction and box office. In 2008, a bootleg version of the director's cut was screened at Outfest, leading to interest for its release. In 2015, Christopher and Miramax premiered a new edit of the film at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival, with 45 minutes of original material restored and 30 minutes of studio re-shoots removed. Miramax Films subsequently requested the film remove any suggestions of bisexuality. The postproduction process was troubled, with Weinstein hiring a second writing team to flesh out new scenes that play up a romance between Shane and Julie. Christopher was not allowed in the editing room, and though he agreed to shoot the new scenes after initial resistance, he did not get to see the final cut.

Reception and legacy

54 opened at No. 4 on its opening weekend (August 28–30, 1998) with $6.6 million, behind Blade, There's Something About Mary, and Saving Private Ryan.

Studio cut

The film grossed $16.8 million on an estimated budget of $13 million. The role was Myers' only foray into drama until Inglourious Basterds (released in 2009) and Bohemian Rhapsody and Terminal (both released in 2018).

Though some critics noted Christopher manages to "[re-create] the club's playfully subversive physical details: the glitter confetti and giant silver man-in-the-moon cokehead mobile, the VIP room hidden in the dank basement", many were particularly disappointed with the film's fictional characters and storyline, believing that Studio 54's notorious, real-life past should have been explored with better detail and more realism.

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 15% based on 66 reviews, with an average rating of 4.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Robbed of its integral LGBTQ themes, 54 is a compromised and disjointed glance at the glory days of disco." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 33 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale.

The film was nominated for two Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Actor for Ryan Phillippe and Worst Supporting Actress for Ellen Albertini Dow. Neve Campbell was nominated for Worst Supporting Actress (also for Wild Things) at the 1998 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards.

Director's cut

In the years after the theatrical cut's release, a bootleg VHS version of the two-hour-long rough cut began circulating. Strong word of mouth and support led to New York LGBTQ film festival Outfest screening the rough cut to a sold-out crowd in 2008. The 105 minute-long cut included 44 minutes of restored footage, with all but a few seconds of the studio-dictated re-shot footage jettisoned.

The director's cut has received a much more positive critical response, and the film has a cult following among the gay community. Of 54: The Director's Cut, critic Louis Jordan wrote, "Driven by character and atmosphere rather than soapy plot, Christopher's film is permeated by a melancholy that adds depth to the ecstatic party scenes. Mike Myers nails the pathos and charm behind Rubell's luded-out lechery, while Phillippe's measured performance, finally given space to breathe, is vulnerable, amoral, and sexy. There are no easy heroes or villains in this 54, only people looking for something they'll likely never find." This extended cut runs 100 minutes, eight minutes of which are not in the studio's 92-minute release. Miramax and Lionsgate Home Entertainment released 54: The Director's Cut in digital HD on streaming video providers on June 2, 2015. A Blu-ray version of this cut was released in 2016.

Notes

References

Bibliography

  • Official trailer