Review #629: Xanadu.
Cast
Olivia Newton-John (Kira), Michael Beck (Sonny Malone), Gene Kelly (Danny McGuire), James Sloyan (Simpson), Dimitra Arliss (Helen), and Katie Hanley (Sandra) Directed by Robert Greenwald.
Review
This is a musical that...just is so middling with its strengths and weak points. On the one hand, the music by ELO is awesome, or maybe I just love the band, though whatever the case, the music works really well for the movie, "I'm Alive" is a song I admire very much. The characters on the other hand, aren't as coll, though Gene Kelly is a delight even at over 60, especially the scenes when he dances, even if Kelly is just playing himself, which I guess is fine, the other actors are trying to play characters and they don't succeed that well. The story is odd, because I guess...there's a happy ending, though...maybe not, the movie's weird enough, with the roller skates and all. The effects are at least cool, they just work really well for the film, it give off a flashiness feeling, which works well for this film. At times the dancing is good, though it can't hide the fact this is a muddled film. Is it a romance, a fantasy, or...both? Maybe a villain would've helped make this movie a little better (as long as it's not a cliche one, but with this movie, all bets are off), even if this movie already feels like a 40's movie, which isn't that far off, apparently. The movie would later get adapted into a Broadway musical, which is probably more well suited for a premise like this, I suppose. One lasting thing that this film inspired was the creation of the Golden Raspberry Awards (that and Can't Stop the Music), which I guess is something productive. This is at best a campy, but somewhat interesting movie, with some killer music.
Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.
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