Staying Alive

Starring: John Travolta, Cynthia Rhodes, Finola Hughes, Steven Inwood
Directed by: Sylvester Stallone
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
1983

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Tony Manero (John Travolta) is living in New York, trying to make it as a Broadway dancer.

Review:

Tim: I really liked 1977's Saturday Night Fever. I thought it was a powerful, emotional story that also served as a pretty good dance movie. I was surprised to discover they made a sequel, 1983's Staying Alive. I was looking forward to this movie, just to see the continued adventures of our favorite dancer, Tony Manero. I obviously heard the many complaints, calling this the "worst sequel ever made". I admit this is a deep drop off from the original, but I believe people over-exaggerate how bad it is. It was an average movie.

I admit part of why I didn't hate this movie is that I really like the character of Tony Manero. There's so few dancing protagonists in film, it was fun to see not one, but two movies about him. I like the complex, frustrating Manero, so I was excited to see another film with him. Manero is so fascinating because you love him due to his energy and his tenaciousness. However, he's such a frustrating character because he does such boneheaded things. He can't see what is best for him, and continually acts against his own best self interest. That makes for an intriguing experience of watching him on screen.

I feel bad for Staying Alive because it's so easy to make fun of this film. The main plot involves our protagonist trying to make it as a Broadway dancer (in the early 1980s, of all times). That is a recipe for disaster, especially when we watch the movie today. I admit that much of this film could be seen as completely and utterly ridiculous. However, I was slightly forgiving of those scenes. They were absurd, but in a fun way.

The main focus of the film is whether or not Manero can cut it as a Broadway dancer. Along the way, he gets involved in a love triangle and suffers the typical ups and downs you would expect from a struggling artist. The movie is fairly short at 93 minutes, but it does drag in a few places. While the movie doesn't offer a lot of compelling moments, it is helped by the central question of whether or not Manero makes it.

John Travolta was decent reprising his role as Manero. He doesn't have nearly the same level of material around him to work with, but his energy and enthusiasm is contagious. He made this movie. The rest of the cast is less than average and mostly forgettable.

Look, Staying Alive is not a great movie. It is weak, absurd, and not directed particularly well by Sylvester Stallone. However, it's certainly not the worst sequel ever made. People love to pile hate on movies like this. It's a lackluster effort and a forgettable sequel, but there are far, far worse movies out there.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Saturday Night Fever