Hamilton.ES@PARC-MAXC.ARPA (07/19/83)
I had a lot of problems with this film. FLASHDANCE was a series of 5-minute set pieces that kept building. "Staying Alive" is a series of 5-second cuts that go nowhere. Where FLASHDANCE was kinetic, "Staying Alive" is merely frenetic. The dancing never gave me the sense of completion that the pieces in FLASHDANCE had. In "Staying Alive", there are lots of shots of lots of bodies moving together, but in the final analysis, there's a lot less going on than meets the eye. It's showing in 70mm, but the look is foggy. And the music is less than memorable, compared to the knock-your-socks-off vitality in the soundtrack of FLASHDANCE. Since the music and dance are less than totally effective, there's a lot more burden put on the skimpy plot and stock characters. But I'm afraid I just can't give a damn about Tony Manero (John Travolta) or his bitchy ice maiden British costar (Finola Hughes). Travolta manages to play one of the weirdest combinations of wimp and male chauvinist pig I've ever seen. A few muscles aren't going to help him. I classify him with the other "weird" male leads, like Richard Gere, or Humphrey Bogart. I wish some woman would explain the supposed appeal of these types for me. The guys I can identify with are the smoothies: Eastwood, Redford, Newman, Gary Cooper... There are a few "weird" types who are so powerful that you can't help but be impressed: Brando in "Streetcar", Charles Laughton in "The Barretts of Wimpole Street", Nicholson in "Cukoo's Nest"... But Travolta will never be in their league. I wish Sly Stallone had gotten out in front of the camera, instead of just directing. Actually, he does have one amusing 5-second cameo, passing Travolta on the sidewalk. I think 5 seconds of Stallone is probably worth more than 90 minutes of Travolta. Another bright spot is Manero's girl friend, played by Cynthia Rhodes (she also did the "Manhunt" number in FLASHDANCE). Save your money. --Bruce