The Last Days of Disco Review
by "Kleszczewski, Nicholas" (Nicholas DOT Kleszczewski AT pepsico DOT com)June 28th, 1998
The Last Days of Disco
Disco, by nature, is brainless, silly entertainment. By contrast, _The Last Days of Disco_ is mature, thought-provoking entertainment, about smart, young individuals who danced their nights to such brainless, silly entertainment. I suppose it may mean something deeper and more significant, but I have yet to figure out what that may be.
The film chronicles a few weeks in the lives of Alice (_Kids_+ Chloë Sevigny) and Charlotte (_Cold Comfort Farm_+s Kate Beckinsale). Alice is shy, a bit naïve about the new city culture, whereas Charlotte is saucy, brash and patronizing as she educates Alice. The two work as assistants at a publishing house; within time they move in together with Holly (Tara Subkoff) into a railroad apartment.
The rest of the film is general enough that it could have been written by a Cliff+s notes text. Loves come and go, only as an excuse to raise issues. One gets a sexually transmitted disease. The other gets pregnant, and then suffers a miscarriage. One of their friends thinks he is gay, but he may not be. One fears he may lose his job; actually, every major character fears this - only a matter of time until there+s a scene in front of the Unemployment office. Yawn.
What carries the film from subterranean plot hell is its wonderful dialogue. Director/writer Wilt Stillman is supposedly at the top of his game, pulling no punches with it+s starchy, opinionated, rat-tat-tat style. The range of discussions go from G-rated fare (The Lady and the Tramp sequence is a classic), to more vivid adult waters. The dialogue is not for everyone, but is always intriguing and revealing.
Standouts in the cast include the aforementioned Beckinsale, Stillman regular Christopher Eigeman as Des (who may or may not be gay), and Matthew Keeslar as Josh, who would spontaneously sing an old hymn if desired. Other actors include three individuals from the "Where are they now" files: The Facts of Life+s MacKenzie Astin (looking too much like Michael J. Fox), _Dead Poets Society_+s Robert Sean Leonard, and (gasp! Too old!) Jennifer Beals in a terrible, throwaway role.
Unfortunately, the real weak link in the film is Chloë Sevigny+s character (I can+t pinpoint whether it is her acting, or the writing). Of all those in the cast who have strong coherent thoughts and are able to bring those out at a wonderful pace, Alice is the exception. She seemed to waltz in from another, more serious movie, and disrupts the flow of Stillman-doing-Hawks style. Maybe she is to be the point of contrast to everyone else, but it just doesn+t work.
And the music. There is a huge soundtrack with over twenty classic tunes. And there isn+t a single song from the Bee Gees. Shock! There must be _somebody_ out there who+s disappointed.
All in all, I liked much of the film. But except for a few strains of dialogue, the film is mostly forgettable. Just like disco itself.
Nick Scale (1 to 10): 7
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