Cult Flops - Can't Stop the Music

Associated Film Distribution, 1980
Starring Steve Gutenberg, Valerie Perrine, Bruce Jenner, and The Village People (Alex Briley, David Hodo, Glenn Hughes, Randy Jones, Felipe Rose, and Ray Simpson)
Directed by Nancy Walker
Music by Jaques Morallei; Lyrics by various

Like Xanadu, this movie was another reaction to the overwhelming popularity of disco in the late 70's. Producer Allan Carr was coming off the mega-success of Grease and decided to follow that up with an original production. The Village People, six guys in various "working guys" costumes like cowboy or construction worker, were also coming off the huge hits "YMCA" and "In the Navy" and were one of the hottest groups on the planet at that point.

It may have made sense at the time to put them in a lavish musical inspired by the Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney "put on a show" musicals of the 1930's, but...well, let's just say that several bizarre choices in cast and crew and an overdose of camp made this one one go off the rails in spectacular fashion. How bad is it? Let's start in a crowded record store in New York City, where a hopeful young songwriter is about to change his life forever, and find out...

The Story: Jack Morell (Gutenberg) quits his job at a Grenwich Village record store to take a job as a DJ at a disco/country dance club. His roommate Samantha (Perrine) is initially skeptical, until she hears the big song he wrote about her. Seeing how it whips the crowd at the club into a frenzy, she suggests he shops it around to music executives she knows. The only taker is her sleazy ex-boyfriend Steve Waits (Paul Sand), who is more interested in her than Jack and his music, but she does manage to convince him to let them make a demo.

Now, all they need is a band. Good thing Samantha happens to have a friend from the disco club who dresses as a Native American (Rose) and an old friend who is a construction worker and model (Hodo), and a friend of hers just happens to know a cop (Simpson) and a National Guardsman (Briley), all of whom have wonderful singing voices. They also encounter Ron White (Jenner), a lawyer from St. Louis who is still getting use to the different sexual standards in New York. He leaves their big party in shock from all the sexy dancing, but changes his mind the next day when he realizes how much he likes Sam.

Ron offers to let them use his law office for their auditions, which somehow attracts the weirdest acts this side of The Gong Show. They do manage to pick up a singing motorcyclist in leather (Hughes) who was looking for someone to do his taxes, but Ron's boss (Russell Nype) is shocked at the display. Ron eventually quits to focus on the group. Sam tries to get Steve to offer up a contract, but turns down the one he does offer. She and the others first opt for a pay-party, but the commercial they make for milk is deemed a little too controversial. Fortunately, Ron's mother (Barbara Rush) is heavily into charity and may have an option that'll be the perfect way to showcase the group...

The Song and Dance: Well...you can't say this one isn't unique. If you didn't know when it was made, the glittering opening credits alone would give it away. The entire production screams "1979" in every way possible, from the women's plumed hats and floaty floral dresses to the men basically not wearing much of anything. Even Ron sheds his suit for a midriff-bearing t-shirt once he leaves the law firm. I don't think any mainstream movie before this (or possibly since) shows so much of the male anatomy.

Favorite Number: "Magic Night" is the party at Jack and Samantha's house in Grenwich Village that so offended Ron. It's really everyone sexy-dancing around each other as the Village People sings, and even includes a faux-Busby Berkeley overhead shot. "YMCA" is mainly shots of mostly-naked men doing sports at the free recreational center. "Milkshake" is the big milk commercial number. It's supposed to be a salute to big 30's chorus numbers, with everyone in creamy white and tapping around glasses of milk, but it's so campy and badly choreographed, it's more of an unintentional parody.

What I Don't Like: Pretty much everything else. This is just a plain bad movie. Gutenberg, Perrine, and Jenner all play obnoxious, self-centered people who turn down several offers that would have helped them along but didn't fit their "want it all" image. The Village People are not only bad actors, but have no personality beyond their costumes. The movie puts so much focus on Jack and his songs and Ron and Samantha and their on-again, off-again romance, the Village People are barely seen in their own film. Nancy Walker, normally a TV and stage comedienne, was hardly the director to make sense of this idiocy (and spent most of the shoot fighting with Perrine to boot).

The dialogue is stilted, dreadful, and poorly acted by everyone. Even with the overlong two-hour running time, things still happen too easily for the characters. Every time there's a conflict, a character actor or friend who just "happens" to have connections is trotted in, and the problem is solved. There's no real struggle or downward spiral, or frankly much of a plot. It's basically hanging on the numbers and...well, if you don't like disco or the glittering high camp that is often associated with that music, you won't know what to make of sex-drenched lunacy like "Milkshake" and the onstage title song that ends the film.

The Big Finale: While I ultimately found Xanadu to be weirdly charming despite its excesses, this one is just weird. Don't touch this with a hundred-foot pole unless you're a major fan of disco, the Village People, Gutenberg, or the late 70's-early 80's camp aesthetic in general.

Home Media: Out of print on DVD and a little pricey on Blu-Ray. Streaming may be your best bet if you absolutely must see this.

DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime