Weak plot puts '54' at less than positive

There's no doubt that there are plenty of interesting tales to be told about the happenings inside the night club Studio 54, but this isn't one of them. "54," the story of the popular New York spot of the late '70s and early '80s is nothing more than the million to one shot of a dreamy teen from New Jersey who wants to make it in the big city, and, surprise, ends up doing it.

The picture starts with a dopey voice-over which lets the audience know that Shane (Ryan Phillippe) is sick of his small-town life in New Jersey and is ready to move on to the big time. This gets the story off on the wrong foot and sets the trend for the annoyingly numerous voice-overs that add nothing to "54." The fact that Shane yearns for something bigger is clear from the moment the movie starts, but apparently writer-director Mark Christopher wants to hit the audience over the head with t

Courtesy of Miramax Ryan Phillippe and Salma Hayek get less than groovy in "54," the Mark Christopher film about the New York night club.

hat fact.

Ryan Phillippe, who gave the only inspired performance in the slash-fest "I Know What You Did Last Summer," is a major disappointment in the central role. The character of Shane is not built up enough before he heads to New York, and as a result he comes off as nothing more than a hunky daydreamer with a nice six pack. Phillippe never connects with the audience at the beginning, and as a result it is hard to share in his joy when he succeeds or care when he begins the inevitable downward spiral from the top.

Those behind the film would have done well to take a look at last year's "Boogie Nights," a far superior film made in the same vein as "54." In "Boogie Nights," instead of bombarding the audience with voice overs and clichés, the story establishes the background of its main character and then chooses to show rather than tell the audience what he was thinking.

At the head of the Studio 54 phenomenon is club owner Steve Rubell. Mike Myers shines in his first serious role as Rubell and is the film's lone bright spot. Myers plays the sly, pill-popping club owner to perfection and never falls back on the goofy humor that made him a Hollywood mainstay.

The best scene of "54" comes when a tripped-out Rubell dumps thousands of dollars on a bed and then rolls around caressing it. From the looks of things, it seems that this is an every night occurrence and it shows the audience that although he may rule the club, Rubell doesn't have anything going on in his life outside of it. Through his subtle supporting performance Myers shows that his jump from comedy to drama is no one-time gimmick.

Unfortunately, the Rubell character is only a minor player in the film's plot. The makers chose to focus on a sappy long shot love story between Shane and soap-sex-pot Julie Black (Neve Campbell) and tension within the Studio 54 family. Both of these plotlines have massive amounts of untapped potential.

The romance between Shane and Julie is nothing more than Shane's major crush on Julie, and their inevitable hooking up. Campbell's role is thankless, and she doesn't do much with her underdeveloped character. She does, however, deserve some credit for branching out from the "Scream" franchise, even if it's just for a year.

The 54 family, which consists of the club's employees, is a rather pathetic bunch who lie, steal and sleep their way to the top. The audience doesn't care about these characters and as a result could care less as they knife each other in the back. First-time director Mark Christopher seems incapable of telling this story, although reports of reshoots and reediting may be his alibi. He never develops any sort of feeling for the characters and depends too much on voice-overs to carry the story. In addition, he is very heavy handed and overdoes the symbolism in the film's moment of revelation.

Overall, "54" is a convoluted attempt at a love story that just doesn't work. And other than Myers impressive turn as Rubell, the film has very few positives.

It sure doesn't seem like as much fun as a night in the club.

09-08-98