lasttimeisaw
USA conversationalist Whit Stillman's third feature, THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO trades on his personal experiences of NYC's disco-scene (salted with Harvard-disparaging quips) in the early 80s, ebulliently scrutinizing a coterie of freshly out-of-college yuppie-wannabes, who are habitually congregated in their common haunt, an unconscionably popular nightstand, meantime, their love life and career path wax and wane variably, signposted by its title when their disco days are unexpectedly being put paid to, time to grown up when reality bites. Alice (Sevigny), a self-contained sylph dithering about making the right decisions - don't be judgmental, be sexy, always at the bidding of her more popular but stuck-up friend Charlotte (a fresh-faced Beckinsale, looking ghastly under the slap), both girls work in the same publishing house and mingle with the likes of Tom (Leonard), a spiffy environmental lawyer, Jimmy (Astin), an enterprising adman, No.1 and No.2 prospects on Alice's infatuation list, then there are Josh (Keeslar), a young assistant district attorney and Des (Eigeman), a college-dropout who becomes one of the managers of the said nightclub, both take a fancy on the quiet but intelligent Alice.Gender study and sex politics are thrown into the mix where philandering and mendacity (using "gay excuse" to break off relationships), gender double standards (you are a titillating slut, I will not forfeit our chance of a one-night-stand, but afterwards, we are finished.), treacherous friendship (Beckingsale is totally in her wheelhouse as the paradigm of the so called "green tea bitch", avant la lettre), even venereal disease, collectively roil the dynamism of their pairing-off games, to somewhat wacky but consistently buoyant vibes, however, a byplay relative of an undercover police investigation is only patchily introduced as a frivolous plot device, fails to emphasize what is at stake, and the manic-depressive Josh, accorded with a forthright quirkiness and spontaneous elocution, potentially the most fascinating character among the posse, is wasted by the wooden, stilted performance from the blandly handsome Keeslar, whose recapitulation of the film's tenor near the finish-line comes off as a deleterious overkill.However, club-scene hasn't died out, has been continuing luring new generations of hipsters and scenesters with theme-specific variations to this day, over three decades later, THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO is, to each their own, a sparkling eulogy of Whitman's own youthful abandon and disillusion, and on a sociological level, a zeitgeist-reflecting conversation piece that thankfully doesn't belie its maker's undue conceit and guile.
gardsea
'The Last Days of Disco' isn't really about disco. It focuses on the relationships of a group of "yuppies" (young upwardly mobile professionals) during this time.The film prioritises dialogue over plot. The humorous, witty dialogue makes the film go quite quickly considering its runtime.In my opinion, this film contains elements from a variety of genres, namely (in no particular order) comedy, drama, music, crime and legal.Definitely worth a watch if you're a fan of disco (the soundtrack), witty dialogue (similar to a Richard Linklater film) and the two lead actresses.
Desertman84
The Last Days of Disco is a dramedy that was loosely based on the events of the nightclubs in Manhattan - including Studio 54 - during the disco scene of New York City during the early 80's.It stars Chloë Sevigny and Kate Beckinsale together with Chris Eigeman,Mackenzie Astin,Tara Subkoff,Robert Sean Leonard,Matt Keeslar and Jennifer Beals.The story centers on Alice Kinnon and Charlotte Pingress,two young Manhattan professionals fresh out of college who work in a New York publishing house.They frequent a local disco house together in search of music,dance and romance.Both have different personalities with Alice being intelligent,quiet and soft-spoken while Charlotte being outgoing,conceited and giving Alice constant advice.The film follow the events that both women experiences especially during the last days of the disco scene.This is definitely a great movie about the disco era.It was a sincere and earnest depiction of the scene as well as that of friendship between two strikingly different women.Definitely,well- done with great dialogue and outstanding performances from Sevigny and Beckinsale.Also,worth mentioning is the outstanding soundtrack particularly I'm Coming Out by Diana Ross.It definitely is one entertaining movie and one would definitely become curious of the disco scene especially the young generation watching this movie.
whereismikeyfl
Within the first few minutes it is clear that this is going to be an extraordinary film. Too often in his earlier films, Stillman does not trust the camera or the actors to make the point. But for some reason you can feel a greater confidence right from the first scene.Given the intelligence, wit, and insight Stillman gives to young characters--an age that most films only present as either ridiculous or in a clichéd manner--why have young actors sought not worked to develop projects with Stillman? This film was such a breakthrough for him artistically....then nothing.....Has Chloe Sevengy ever been better, luminous with bad posture.
