Synopsis
Studio 54 was the epicenter of 70s hedonism - a place that not only redefined the nightclub, but also came to symbolize an entire era. Its co-owners, Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell, two friends from Brooklyn, seemed to come out of nowhere to suddenly preside over a new kind of New York society. Now, 39 years after the velvet rope was first slung across the club's hallowed threshold, a feature documentary tells the real story behind the greatest club of all time.
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Cast
- Ian SchragerSelf
- Steve RubellSelf (archive footage)
- Donald RubellSelf
- Michael JacksonSelf (archive footage)
- Farrah FawcettSelf (archive footage)
- Liza MinnelliSelf (archive footage)
- Mikhail BaryshnikovSelf (archive footage)
- Jack BennySelf (archive footage)
- Walter CronkiteSelf (archive footage)
- Bianca JaggerSelf (archive footage)
Recommendations
- 100
Film Threat
Celebrities. Privilege. Debauchery. Hedonism. We’ve all heard the stories about the most infamous (and legendary) nightclub of all time, Studio 54, but we didn’t have all the facts…till now. - 83
IndieWire
Studio 54 isn’t an especially clever or innovative film, but it taps into its namesake’s dormant spirit, and reclaims a famous piece of Manhattan folklore for the people who made it possible. - 83
Entertainment Weekly
One of the great surprises of Matt Tyrnauer’s giddy glitterbomb of a documentary about New York’s infamously Caligulan Me Decade hot spot is discovering how much of our culture (the drugs, the music, the sexual liberation) is wrapped up in one nightclub that existed for a mere 33 months. - 80
The New York Times
The movie is a fast account that is sometimes a tad facile in its analysis of a cultural moment. But as Mr. Schrager’s personal too-much-too-soon story, it’s compelling. - 80
Empire
A fascinating documentary that captures all the glamour and grubbiness of the 20th century’s most famous nightclub. All the thrill of being there with none of the hangover. - 80
Film Journal International
Matt Tyrnauer’s documentary finally tells its full story, and an enthralling, sometimes absurd, sometimes very sad and at times almost unbelievable story it is. - 75
Movie Nation
Funny, few people have fond things to say about the decade that followed. But Studio 54 they want to remember, or hear about if they were too young to get a gander at it in its glory. Studio 54 gives them their most thorough look back yet. - 75
Slant Magazine
The documentary nurtures our sympathy for Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager without shortchanging their hypocrisies.
