Xanadu (1980) / Fantasy-Musical

MPAA Rated: PG for mild language
Running Time: 93 min.

Cast: Olivia Newton-John, Gene Kelly, Michael Beck, James Sloyan, Dimitra Arliss, Katie Hanley, Fred McCaren, Sandahl Bergman, The Tubes, Adolfo Quinones (cameo), Joe Mantegna (cameo)
Director: Robert Greenwald
Screenplay: Richard Christian Danus, Marc Reid Rubel
Review published June 16, 2000

Out of all the reviews you will find on my site, Xanadu is perhaps the film I feel the most guilty for liking.  It would be so easy for me to slam it as a terrible film like so many others do, and nobody would probably question it.  Yet, I must take the road less traveled as a movie reviewer here because, in truth, Xanadu is one of those films that, despite all of the naysayers and evidence of a bad movie against it, still manages to work its magic on me.  The reasons as to why still elude me to this day.  I have never really been a fan of Olivia Newton-John (Grease, Two of a Kind), neither as a singer nor an actress, I don't like to roller skate, and I'm not particularly fond of musicals.  And, in case you are wondering, I am an adult heterosexual man -- definitely not the demographic that is generally thought of when examining those who might like this film.  Yet, every time I view it, I never fail to be thoroughly captivated and entertained.

Xanadu is the first directorial effort from Robert Greenwald, and quite and ambitious one at that.  There are an incredible number of moving parts to the film, from the hundreds of extras, to the music, to the choreographed dance numbers, to the still-impressive music video editing, to the neon-tinged special effects work.  There is even an animated sequence from famed Disney defector Don Bluth, his first non-Disney work for a feature film, which fits in somewhat to the themes of an artist who leaves the corporate world to pursue his own passions.  Though not considered a debut worth bragging about at the time among critics, the sheer chances the film takes on multiple levels is nonetheless impressive for a first-timer, who truly intended and to some degree succeeded in making an ethereal, escapist, eye-candy explosion. Interestingly, Greenwald would build upon his benign anti-corporate stance message of doing for self instead of doing for a soulless company in documentaries like "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism" and "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price", when he formed Brave New Pictures in his later career. 

With an in-movie nod to the title's origin from a poem by an opium-fueled Samuel Taylor Coleridge ("Kubla Khan"), Xanadu's storyline involves the nine muses of Ancient Greece, which happen to come to life when a struggling commercial artist (Beck, The Warriors) rips up one of his personal works, as it is their duty to inspire. One of the nine, calling herself Kira, mesmerizes the young artist, inspiring him to join forces with a wealthy entrepreneur (Kelly, Singin in the Rain) whom she may have inspired 40 years before) to start their own disco club called Xanadu. But she wasn't supposed to fall in love, and now she is in jeopardy of displeasing her father, Zeus.

Though it's never explained why Kira would speak with an Aussie accent as compared to her parents, Zeus and Hera, or anyone else in the film, Newton-John is a continues to be revelation in her song-and-dance routines, building upon the splash she made in her prior role as Sandy in Grease.  She is noticeable less confident on roller skates, which she mostly learned to do for the film, though not always well, as she ended up painfully breaking her coccyx after falling during the "Suddenly" (a song Newton-John performed in a duet with British pop singer Cliff Richard, a longtime collaborator and friend) sequence across an obstacle-filled soundstage. 

Though many Gene Kelly fans may have been saddened that Xanadu would be the musical he would go out on, his performance in the film is still objectively impressive, who, at nearly 70 years old, still had the chops to tap dance, sing, and even roller skate (and quite well) better than the lead actors more than half his age.  And that's a bonus to us, as Kelly originally only took the project on the condition that he not dance, though he obviously opened up to the idea as the production was underway, and even ended up choreographic the big tap-dance number he does with Olivia Newton-John to the big-band sounds of "Whenever You're Away from Me."

Newton-John, while somewhat chagrined that the film didn't fare as well as she'd hope, nevertheless is pleased that the music was always solid.  She also enjoyed the chance to work with legend and idol Gene Kelly, who played the older Danny McGuire, and, during the production, she would meet and become romantically involved with the actor/dancer who very briefly portrays the flashback younger version of Danny McGuire, Matt Latanzi, who would become her first husband a few years later, and with whom she would have her only child, Chloe. 

The double-platinum selling soundtrack of the film fared a bit better than the movie back in 1980, with producer John Farrar's "Magic", sung by Olivia Newton-John, managing to top the pop charts in the united States for the four weeks leading up to the film's release into theaters on August 8, 1980.  It would go on to be the third most popular song of 1980, according to Billboard.  Jeff Lynne and ELO also deliver some very catchy and memorable songs to the film's soundtrack that mesh well with the overall vibe of the movie, if not become the driving force in several scenes.  In all, five top 20 hits resulted from the soundtrack; in addition to "Magic" and "Suddenly", there was the title track (which was the biggest of the singles in countries outside of North America), plus ELO's "I'm Alive" and "All Over the World".

In my humble opinion, Xanadu is quite possibly one of the most underrated and overly-maligned of the films to stem from the disco era, seen as one of the two films watched by John J.B. Wilson that inspired him to create the Golden Raspberry Awards (aka The Razzies), an annual awards show of the worst films and performances in cinema (the other film, another cheesy musical, Can't Stop the Music, which would take the Razzie for Worst Picture, and, coincidentally, had been offered to Newton-John).  Critics at the time had little caring for disco and pop, Olivia Newton-John, roller skates, or ELO, many of which were already growing corny and outdated in the public eye by the time of release, so it's no wonder this film was destined to be a critical DOA.

This barely-recognizable remake of Down to Earth may have rattled critics' cages, but to those who aren't looking for Singin' in the Rain caliber music or acting might be surprised at how well done the music pieces are and how audacious the creators of this film are to pull out all stops, trying their hardest to knock the socks off of any and all viewers.   Just the end sequence alone would take nearly a month to complete, bringing together over two hundred skilled roller skaters, dancers, jugglers, acrobats, and street performers for an all-out extravaganza meant to finish the film with a bang.

Admittedly, the film does suffer from a weak leading man in Beck, who has the looks but not much of acting ability required for the role, plus a shoddy script that never rises above the level of workable, reportedly not completed as they began to roll film, and what was there had been persistently revised on a day-to-day basis. However, the real draw for Xanadu comes from the fantastic musical set pieces, with Gene Kelly still amazing after all these years in this his final musical. I do realize that it's a little corny and trite, playing more like a 90-minute Mentos commercial than a motion picture, but the film is just plain fun, pleasant, gutsy and if you are on the right wavelength, will fill you with a sense of inspiration and magic as well.  It's catchiness and infectious qualities would result in a kitschy Tony-award winning Broadway musical based on the film in 2007, which played up the campy qualities its favor, and a cult following among lovers of cheesy musicals, who watch and love the film both ironically and unironically.

If you have even an ounce of the sappy romantic in you, I wholeheartedly recommend Xanadu.  You used to have to wear shades and ask for the brown bag at the video store, but in these days of streaming services, there's no shame in clicking play and dancing along to the music in the comfort of your own abode.

Qwipster's rating:

©2000, 2018 Vince Leo