Review of Xanadu (1980) by Stephanie A — 24 Aug 2009

Okay. This was a ritual escapist jaunt for me as a kindergartener. It has no socially redeemable value what-so-ever, other than in fashion revivalist camps. I place it in the 'Most Fabulous Box Office Disaster Films Ever' category along with 'Showgirls', 'The Poseidon Adventure', 'Barb Wire' and the like.

It is a saccharine roller-disco musical flying high on rayon nostalgia, Olivia Newton John's cherubic cheeks, and Gene Kelly's debonaire dance routines. He was a real trooper for doing this one, or just real desperate.

Either way, it is a total pastiche of classic Hollywood cheese, i.e. Busby Berkeley routines, big bands, tap dancing, film noir, live action animation sequences, and ironic romantic comedies. It was anachronistic, and either totally ahead of its time, or way too sentimental.

Alas, it has become a cult flick with live shadow-dancing tributes and a broadway muscial revamp, which I think also (fitfully) bombed. In the words of Andy Warhol " I can only understand really amateur performers or really bad performers, because whatever they do never really comes off, so therefore it can't be phoney.

.." That said, I adore this film for being really bad.