A Film Review by James Berardinelli
Superficially (and that's a good word to use in connection with this film), 54 bears a resemblance to Whit Stillman's The Last Days of Disco. The time period (the late '70s and early '80s) is the same, the place (New York's most exclusive disco) is the same, and the music is the same.
However, while Stillman's film boasted interesting characters and provocative dialogue, 54 has neither. Beneath all the glitz, this movie is vapid. In fact, in terms of plotline, it's a lot like a shallow echo of Boogie Nights.
Take the porn industry, replace it with Manhattan's disco scene, cut the running length in half by removing most of the degradation, and the result is 54. Although this film may appeal to those who were offended by Boogie Nights, almost everyone who praised Paul Thomas Anderson's feature will see 54 as an inferior product.
The sex and drugs are present in abundance,but Mark Christopher's portrait is heavily sanitized.There's only one overdose, and the effects of drug abuse and unprotected sex are mentioned only in passing. Maybe that's the best way to remember the late-'70s.A clearer view (such as the one presented in Boogie Nights and Whatever) is much less appealing.
