Staying Alive

Infobox Film
name = Staying Alive


caption = movie poster for "Staying Alive"
director = Sylvester Stallone
producer = Sylvester Stallone
Robert Stigwood
writer = Sylvester Stallone
Norman Wexler
starring = John Travolta
Cynthia Rhodes
music = Barry Gibb
Maurice Gibb
Robin Gibb
cinematography = Nick McLean
editing = Mark Warner
Don Zimmerman
distributor = Paramount Pictures
released = July 11, 1983
runtime = 93 min.
country = United States
language = English
preceded_by = "Saturday Night Fever"
amg_id = 1:46744
imdb_id = 0086361

"Staying Alive" is the 1983 sequel to "Saturday Night Fever", starring John Travolta as the main character Tony Manero, Cynthia Rhodes, Finola Hughes, Joyce Hyser, Steve Inwood, Julie Bovasso, and dancers Viktor Manoel, Kate Ann Wright, Kevyn Morrow and Nanette Tarpey. This film marked the 10th film of actor John Travolta.

Plot summary

Former disco king Tony Manero is six years older, and having left Brooklyn is now living in Manhattan staying in a flophouse while he works as a dance instructor and as a waiter at a dance club, looking for his big break in the modern dance productions on Broadway. Tony lands a role in the chorus of a new production called "Satan's Alley" starring wealthy English dancer Laura (Finola Hughes), whom he seduces only to find that he is the one who has been used.

His girlfriend Jackie (Cynthia Rhodes), sick of being considered second best, finally leaves him, and he soon realizes how cruel he has been. Tony sees an opportunity to replace the lead male dancer and asking Jackie to help succeed, resulting in an intense dancing chemistry between Tony and Laura which climaxes on opening night. The film ends with Tony leaving the stage door in order to "strut" in celebration, reminiscent of the opening scene of "Saturday Night Fever".

Critical Reaction

Despite being one of the highest-grossing films of 1983, critics and fans blasted the movie, saying it lacked the heart and interesting characters of "Saturday Night Fever". Not only did "Staying Alive" hardly compare to its acclaimed predecessor, but it was also considered to be a terrible movie in general. A dance sequence in the final act of the movie flummoxed audiences instead of captivating them. In 2006, Entertainment Weekly dubbed "Staying Alive" the "Worst Sequel Ever." Many critics complained that the sequel didn't contain the shock that "Saturday Night Fever" had.Many believe that this movie was the cause of the downward spiral of John Travolta's career that took place in the 1980s-early 1990s. It has received zero percent on Rotten Tomatoes [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/staying_alive/] .

Despite the negative reviews, it was a big success at the box office, earning almost $65 million dollars in the US. While the figure is significantly inferior to the $94 million earned from the original in 1977, it ranks among the top ten most successful films of 1983.

Trivia

* The title comes from the song by the Bee Gees. Six of their songs would be featured in this film.
* Travolta trained with Stallone for almost five months, working six days a week and sometimes 14 or 16 hours a day. He lost 20 pounds for the role.
* The movie was directed by Sylvester Stallone with songs performed by Frank Stallone, Sylvester's brother. He has a part in the film as Carl, Jackie's musician guitar partner at the club.
* There is a location reference to "Saturday Night Fever" when Tony, played by John Travolta, walks past the "2001 Odyssey" club on his way to visit his mother. 2001 Odyssey became the Spectrum in 1987 until its closure in [http://www.discomusic.com/clubs-more/4513_0_6_0_C/ 2005] .
* Sylvester Stallone has a cameo in the film when Tony, played by John Travolta, walks into him by mistake on a busy Manhattan street.
* Julie Bovasso (who played Tony's mother) was the only other cast member besides Travolta to reprise her role from "Saturday Night Fever".
* Because of the popularity of John Travolta and the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack at the time, Paramount decided to make this sequel less gritty for audiences who didn't get to see the original. The first film was an R [18 in the UK] and this was a friendly PG rating.
* It was on the set of this film that Stallone and Travolta met, eventually becoming close friends.
* Coincidentally, Tony Manero had a poster of the 1976 movie "Rocky" on his bedroom wall in the first film. Sylvester Stallone, who played and wrote the character of Rocky, would be directing this sequel.
* In the novel adaptation, there were a few extra parts that were not in the film. One included Tony visiting Laura at her apartment prior to the night of the Broadway show of Satan's Alley. He wanted to make amends and hope they can be friends due to their chemistry during rehearsals for the show. She snaps at him and hints that "You don't have it..." which she says during the performance backstage in the final film only once. There was also an extended scene of Tony handing in his notice at the bar and the manager wishing him luck for his new career on Broadway. He vaguely says to Jackie in the final film that he is giving in his notice but was not shown in the final cut.
* During the audition for Satan's Alley, where Jackie wins a role and Tony comments on her legs, there were a couple of outtakes of Tony from the introduction of the film where he dances at another audition. Notice his number on his top.
* In the closing of the film when John Travolta struts down the street to the theme tune, there is a guy impersonating his walk behind him when he crosses the street.
* The doorman who asks Tony if he was expected to Laura's party at her apartment is associate producer Tony Munafo, who was involved with this film and also "Rocky IV" and "Rocky V".

Awards and nominations

*Golden Globe Awards:Nominated: Original Song ("Far from Over")

*Golden Raspberry Awards:Nominated: Worst Actor (John Travolta):Nominated: Worst New Star (Finola Hughes)

*Grammy Awards:Nominated: Best Album of Original Score Written for A Motion Picture or a Television Special

See also

* Staying Alive (soundtrack album)
* Films considered the worst ever

External links

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* [http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,1169126_21_0_,00.html Entertainment Weekly's Worst Sequels Ever]
* [http://film.virtual-history.com/film.php?filmid=198 Movie stills]
* [http://www.dailymotion.com/mariodelpais/video/x3th1d_staying-alive_shortfilms clip vidéo]