Review of Tony Manero (2008) by Simon C — 17 Oct 2008
Chile, late 1970s. An aging dancer is obsessed with John Travolta's character in Saturday Night Fever. He single-mindedly attempts to perfect Travolta's moves and dialogue, while trying to survive under military curfew and without much money. His female fellow dancers try to convince him to run away with them.
An intriguing idea, but the way its presented didn't appeal to me much. It uses jump cuts and shaky/blurred camerawork, reminding me a bit of Godard - and I'm not a big Godard fan (Breathless and maybe Pierre le Fou apart). The protagonist could have been a Godard anti-hero, or maybe an early Scorcese - apart from the age, you could see De Niro playing him. But overall it just didn't gel for me. Not a bad film, but not a great one.
This review of Tony Manero (2008) was written by Simon C on 17 Oct 2008.
Tony Manero has generally received positive reviews.
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