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Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that two versions of this hit were released on home video, one a PG-rated (more deserving of a PG-13, really) edit, mainly on VHS, and a later R-rated DVD that put back a lot of the original theatrical film's harshest gutter language and vibes. Both detail urban gang-style behavior by the characters – even by nominal hero Tony Manero -- with much swearing, fighting, casual and/or animalistic sex (the most disturbing being a gang-rape at the end), and ultimately deadly mischief. Though Tony ends up seeking a healthier path, his family's Catholic religion has nothing to do with it; in fact, his brother, a priest, quits the clergy, declaring that he has no faith anymore.

Families can talk about Tony's finding value and self-esteem on the discotheque floor (and in a small raise he gets at his paint-store job) that he says he doesn't receive at home, where he's considered the black sheep. It's interesting that Stephanie, the love interest who helps Tony see the error of his ways, isn't the proverbial "uptown girl" outsider, but someone from his own neighborhood who is trying to actively better herself after "crossing the bridge" into Manhattan society. You can discuss how much of this storyline is specific to New York City and its social classes, and how much is universal -- especially the similarities to other films about at-risk youth, from Rebel Without a Cause to 8 Mile. Also, why do you think this film and its soundtrack are still so popular today?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Charles Cassady, Jr.

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER was a smash hit that became such an icon of its 1970s disco-music setting that the costume John Travolta wore in the dance-contest finale is now on permanent exhibit in the Smithsonian Institution (after being famously owned by film critic Gene Siskel). But know that this movie is no fluffy song-and-dance like Singin' in the Rain or a plot-lite MTV collection of dance fantasies like Flashdance . Rather, this is a tough and serious-minded drama about restless, sometimes violent young men on the sordid side of New York City.

John Travolta, already a rising young TV star at the time, made his big-screen breakthrough as Tony Manero, a vulpine 19-year-old Brooklynite. He lives uncomfortably at home with several generations of his Italian-American family (a rather stereotyped one, headed by a cranky, laid-off father), works a low-level job at a local paint store, hangs out with a trouble-prone pack of pals (he's more or less leader of their gang), and treats marriage-minded girlfriend Annette (Donna Pescow) with contempt, partially because she won't have sex with him. Tony's main escape is on the illuminated floor of a glittery club called 2000, where he's the star and his dance moves take him to a fantasy world away from a dead-end routine.

While dancing Tony meets a local girl named Stephanie (Karen Lynn Gorney) who has landed a secretarial job in a Manhattan music agency and intends to improve herself, via dance lessons and moving across the bridge to the heart of the glamorous city. Tony coldly dumps Annette as his dance partner in the big upcoming annual dance competition at the club and starts training with Stephanie instead. She challenges Tony to grow up too -- but Stephanie's no angel; it's hinted that she's also had the advantage of being the mistress of her married boss.

With his gang's ongoing feuds and girlfriend crises and his family problems in the background (Tony's favored older brother decides to quit the priesthood), the hero has a fateful turning point on the night of the dance contest.

Travolta fought to keep his character not just vulnerable but also raw and occasionally cruel, and that's why Tony Manero works so well (Travolta received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor). It's because he can dance -- and appreciate good dancing, even by hated minorities such as blacks and Puerto Ricans -- that Tony can perceive a better future than this environment can give him.

If you were to replace the wall-to-wall disco music with hip-hop and make the actors African American instead, you'd have a rap-heavy movie, of the type that, decades later, would make parents and even lawmakers cringe (there's an especially strong resemblance to 8 Mile ). Even though the Bee Gees music and bell-bottom trousers tend to inspire rosy, nostalgic and semi-campy memories, the film itself packs a punch and should not be seen by younger children looking for Dance Dance Revolution cues.

Even Hollywood producers thought the movie was unusually profane and explicit, and when Saturday Night Fever went to home video it appeared on VHS in PG-rated form (today this version would be considered a PG-13, at least), using alternative, softer versions of some scenes that director John Badham shot for network TV airings (for what it's worth, Badham has said he thinks the PG scenes have better acting). In 2002 the coarser R-rated edition appeared on DVD, and parents should know it really is more severe.

In 1983 a best-forgotten sequel was made called Staying Alive, directed by Sylvester Stallone, following Tony's efforts to turn his dancing talent into Broadway stardom.Saturday Night Fever has been adapted as a stage show, but for a fun comment on the disco-cinema classic you might want to look up an English-language Singapore comedy That's the Way I Like It about a kid in the 1970s who idolizes the movie so much that Tony becomes his imaginary friend. For more dancing Travolta with less edge, you can't go wrong with Grease.

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