Movie Review by Bill Rendall |
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The Last Days of DiscoI never liked disco. It contributed to the decline of live rock music. Because it is dance music it tends to be repetitive and lacking in dynamics. I never liked the disco scene either. Much of The Last Days of Disco is set in an exclusive club where it is a mark of social acceptance just to be let in the door. Despite my aversion to disco I like The Last Days of Disco a lot. However, I suspect disco fans won't necessarily like this movie. The movie does not recreate the fashions and hairstyles of the disco era. The soundtrack has plenty of disco songs but the music is at a low level so it becomes a background for the dialogue. The focus of the movie is on conversations and relationships. The dialogue is often delivered in an artificial manner as if in a stage production rather than in real life. But the dialogue is so good it deserves to be heard. A great example is when the main characters are sitting in the disco discussing the Disney movie Lady and the Tramp. Three of the characters are involved in a love triangle and they identify themselves with characters from the Disney movie. Whit Stillman, the director and screenwriter, obviously loves talky movies. It is worth a second look at The Last Days of Disco to pick up all the references and ironies in the character's conversations. Another reason for a second look is to keep track of all the male characters. I had trouble on the first viewing as I had not seen most of the actors before and some of them look quite similar. The two main female characters are played by Kate Beckinsale and Chloe Sevigny. Beckinsale puts in a noteworthy performance as the queen bitch with Sevigny on the receiving end of most of the nastiness. I recommend The Last Days of Disco to fans of clever dialogue. |
Director: Whit Stillman Screenplay: Whit Stillman Music: Mark Suozzo Further viewing: 54 was released around the same time as The Last Days of Disco and the story follows a similar arc, documenting the debauchery of Studio 54. |
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