Staying Alive (1983) So Bad but So Good

[@dimitarvelitchkov4207]

Staying alive is an incredible film that sadly was underrated and criticized by people who can't sense, understand and appreciate the art of dancing. Amazing choreography!!! I see the movie with different eyes, just because I am a former professional dancer and I think John, Finola and Cynthia are amazing dancers. The movie was a smash hit with 127 million in the box office. Simple fact.

[@tatysantos4448]

Hola estoy totalmente de acuerdo con lo que dices Staying Alive és una gran película una de mis favoritas Quizás la gente que la crítico no tenían ni idea de el significado de esta película tan bien hecha y con unos bailes increíbles y la música y si que fue un gran éxito de taquilla .....

[@Cali_Girl1]

I don't care what anybody says... I LOVED THAT MOVIE!! And, STILL LOVE IT!! I saw it when I was a little girl, and it had a PROFOUND effect on me! It's my all-time FAVORITE movie!! I must have watched it HUNDREDS of times! I know every scene and every line of the movie! Lol... It absolutely INSPIRED me! And, STILL does!! 😁😁😁

[@dimitarvelitchkov4207]

People sometimes are biased by critics' reviews or other people's reviews. It's just wrong! This is a fantastic movie and I also don't care what others say. Maybe because I am a former dancer, I can totally appreciate this movie, especially the dance scenes.

[@Cali_Girl1]

@@dimitarvelitchkov4207 Me Too! 😊

[@ramencurry6672]

It definitely had good moments but the ending was too cheesy. Overall it could have been better if it went in different directions

[@tonyrobles2696]

Exactly ME TOO❤

[@tatysantos4448]

Si es verdad lo es !!!!

[@aikomorioka5024]

What do critics know! Never get tired of watching these dance sequences.

[@chrismize2738]

One of my personal favorites🙏🏻

[@PaulKyriazi]

I've used this movie over the years to spark my training and career ambitions. "I am down, but I am far from over."

[@dimitarvelitchkov4207]

It was THIS MOVIE that inspired me to start dancing professionally .

[@PaulKyriazi]

@@dimitarvelitchkov4207 I'm glad to hear that. A direct inspiration from the movie. Good for you. I'm sure many artists of all types were inspired by the movie. "I tell them tough guys don't dance. But they reply, "Keep dancing." Norman Mailer

[@julielea8344]

Me as well, choreographer.

[@PaulKyriazi]

@@julielea8344 Yes, that film would do it for a choreographer. Congratulations.

[@seer1623]

@@dimitarvelitchkov4207 Yeah, as a child of the 80s who loved this film, I'm shaking my head over this video critique. I get the plot within the plot (the dance) was a bit cheesy, but these top stars actually danced their parts without doubles, besides acting the roles. That is serious talent that you rarely see today.

[@nicholasjanke3476]

I kinda liked this sequel. It's mabey not a classic as the first one, but it' s still entertaining.

[@jj68]

This is one of my guilty pleasures...Cmon we all have those lol

[@quentindugger5389]

It is an enjoyable film. A great one? No. But definitely enjoyable.

[@youtubemember1115]

One of the guilty pleasure reasons for me is the great music, they did that right, and some scenes/shots of Travolta reminding me of Tony Manero but 5 years later struggling.

[@curly_wyn]

Yeah, it’s a guilty pleasure for me too lol

[@suzannek3493]

LOVED LOVED STAYING ALIVE !! Never understood the hate aimed at this film . Ive seen it so many times and every time it never fails to entertain .

[@Krrrimmi]

BEST '80s MOVIE EVER. 😎

[@josetrevino9009]

Great review Jonny. This is one of the most underrated films of all time. Classic 80's style. Who cares if the critics thought it was not as gritty or scummy as Saturday Night Fever? Get over it! Travolta never looked this fantastic, physically. This was the signature 80's body people only dreamed they could achieve nowadays with so many overweight folks. Also, Cynthia Rhodes was fascinating, as a loving, caring, loyal, sweet, intelligent and talented girlfriend every man wished they could have. Also, the role of Manero's mother (played by Julie Bovasso), though brief, brings a certain much needed depth to the movie. The music is outstanding, the dancing nothing less than spectacular. Yes, its over the top, but that's what the 80's where: Over the top! Back then (I was fortunate to have seen this movie as a teenager in theaters in 1983) we didn't strive for minimalism, we wanted excellence, excess! Of course, the flick is kind of shallow, but that's how the scene was at that time. At least Stallone did not bore us with snobby pretentiousness. He gave people what they wanted and was honest about it. I'm taking Jonny's advice and will see this movie again. With my TV hooked up to some audiophile Thodio speakers, it sounds marvelous with that superb soundtrack (which is also a must have if you are a music fan). See the movie. It's a delicious treat.

[@dimitarvelitchkov4207]

Great review! I think this movie will be more appreciated and understood well from people who love music and dancing. To me, it's a classic dance movie.

[@julielea8344]

@balorama. The purpose of a film is to entertain, if we love the film, so be it. You can't criticize the acting, certainly not the dancing, or choreography, or storyline....so what is so bad about it, assuming you know more about movies than I do, which is nothing from a critic's view (they didn't like the dance, called it unnecessary) but I do know good acting from bad acting, & a good story from a bad one (Composition 1 & 2 at University)....so why is it bad? I think it's way better than the original.

[@kaltwies]

@@julielea8344 ditto!

[@cristianbejan1970]

I love staying alive 😊

[@ZeldasFinalFantasy]

I love this movie lol

[@culape]

Such a fun movie! Loved it and watched it many times.

[@vincerexwinkel3489]

its a guilty pleasure of mine. love this movie.

[@TimFrith24]

“Staying Alive” is a 1983 sequel to the 1977 hit “Saturday Night Fever” starring John Travolta reprising his lead role as Tony Manero, a former disco dancer from Brooklyn who is bound for Broadway in Manhattan. After “Saturday Night Fever” director John Badham decided not to direct the sequel and instead focused on directing “WarGames”, Sylvester Stallone came on board to direct the sequel after Travolta saw “Rocky III” in Hawaii.

[@taurusfroggy]

Travolta never looked hotter than he did in SA.

[@tatysantos4448]

Gran video, esta película es maravillosa ...Le tengo un cariño especial ya que fui a verla al cine varias veces y cada vez me gustsba mas , bailes musica rta una pelicula de su tiempo pero sigue viva 41 años después la fiebre continúa .... Gracias por el video y las imágenes que has puesto una verdadera joya....

[@RightNowMan]

I enjoyed this video.

[@JonnyBaak]

Thanks 😊

[@merika206]

Thanks for this video. Way back then I was thinking”that looks like Patrick Swayze” Ha I knew it! Also who cares what critics say! I never pay attention to them. This movie is so motivational in getting my ass working out with Frank Stallone’s music. 👍🏼

[@curly_wyn]

It’s still up in the air if Swayze was actually in Staying Alive. The guy with white suspenders that was thought to be him was someone similar-looking, but totally different.

[@marib.52380]

Truth be told, I liked this one better than the original. Just felt like the original was all over the place with no solid storyline.

[@GenaralZod]

I watched this movie in July 83 at the age of 14 with my girlfriend and I have loved it ever since. My girlfriend on the other hand, that ended about 6 years later.

[@reesepacker7983]

imo this movie has one the better soundtracks for movie that bombed ...also imo i think Travolta's biggest career mistake during this period was turning down "An Officer And A Gentleman" .doing that movie would have gave a lot momentum going into the the mid 80's...also another small bit of trivia Kurtwood Smith also appears in this film going very against the type of characters he he gets casted as ..bte LOVE your channel ..love the background stories and facts surrounding all this movies and tv shows ..many from my much , much younger days in the 70's and 80s ..have subscribed .

[@julielea8344]

It was a box office success, it did not bomb. It would have done better if it wasn't related to SNF, which I can't even sit through.

[@curly_wyn]

Staying Alive wasn’t a bomb tho. It was unanimously panned by critics, being the oldest film to have a 0% on RT, but it was still the 8th highest-grossing film of 1983, earning $127 million on a budget of just $22 million.

[@Fury851]

This is a brilliant film!! Only negative is that the theatre dance scenes go on too long. But still great. Great actors and beautiful lead girl

[@julielea8344]

This movie was SO much better than SNF, for me & other dancers, choreographer's, etc. Finola is phenomenal actress/dancer & Cynthia Rhodes triple threat singer/dancer/actress, SOOOO much talent, they can't appreciate the dance, the character's are great, I can watch it over & over.

[@curly_wyn]

There absolutely no rawness, realness, or grit in this sequel. And Tony is still an asshole in this movie and has no likable traits whatsoever.

[@connarmccain564]

​@An Aesthetic Win Exactly and we never get to see how his friends death effected him or any mention of Saturday Night Fevers events. If they had fleshed out those things connecting the movies someway then I think people would have liked it more.

[@Jay-ef2ii]

It's a great movie! It is better than the first. June 3, 2021.

[@toxikelement9186]

The critics wanted another SNF movie. Tony dancing more disco. Instead they got Tony in the big city busting his butt in auditions trying to turn his passion into a career. Very real thing. People were just riding their personal disappointment of not getting what they wanted. The only people who enjoyed this are the ones who were open minded and/or love theater and dance. This movie is epic from beginning to end with talented dancing. Amazing soundtrack and solid characters. I actually kind of like how Tony was an arrogant womanizer who got put in his place by a woman who was using him. "Everybody uses everybody, don't they?" The play itself was amazing. All dancers in this movie are professionals. Travolta showing us exactly how talented he is when it comes to dancing. This is a great movie that just got a bad wrap for the wrong reasons.

[@curly_wyn]

Actually the character of Tony Manero didn’t need a sequel. Where his story ended in the original was a good ending the way it was.

[@juggalogamer8541]

Movie wasn't that bad I liked it better then the first

[@michaelperkins739]

Didn't win any awards but was fun to watch.

[@tamiwyatt2113]

My favorite movie!!

[@davidfrederick6003]

There are so many great sequals...But as for critics. I think they are hired to create negativity spite the box office after math. Staying Alive was great. To bottom line it SNF Tony Manero is hanging out with what he called no bodies as friends and just dancing. He moves to Manhattan and realizes making as a "professional dancer" is VERY DIFFICULT. Its not friends, family or locals you have to impress its the director and patrons paying to see you dance. SEE THATS HOW TO BE A CRITIC.

[@dimitarvelitchkov4207]

That is so true! All those negative critics' comments are from critics that have no idea what dancing is about and what it feels like to be a dancer.

[@curly_wyn]

Boo Hoo, cope harder

[@curly_wyn]

@@dimitarvelitchkov4207 “how hard being a dancer is” is irrelevant. It does not equal the same as a good film.

[@edinshealtiel3754]

SO BAD .......NOOOOOOOO

[@BYGTraining]

A sauced up John Travolta lookin like a goddamn house, a classic song somehow written by Silvester Stallone's brother, and the peace of mind knowing that Tony Manero finally made something of his life. What's not to like? I don't want him to be a struggling, racist prick forever. Don't know why some people apparently do.

[@curly_wyn]

Except that in the movie, when he tries to apologize to his mother for being that way, she literally says: “No, don’t apologize! Being an asshole is what got you out of this neighborhood! Be glad that you’re an asshole!” WTF! Besides that, Tony Manero shouldn’t just get a free happy ending, because that would not be true to LIFE, and sometimes in life, we don’t get resolutions or happy endings.

[@davidjatt3251]

0:32 where does this pic come from.. lol

[@kevindobson3701]

I like this better than Saturday night fever

[@kevindobson3701]

I just do like the music better , story better , the dancing is way better , everything about it to me Is better

[@blakkat4126]

Apparently, the original version of Staying Alive was more in line with SNF, as far as character development and the edginess of the SNF. Stallone decided to change all of it into the catastrophic mess it turned out to be. To me, it was "Solid Gold: with talking parts. I like John Travolta, but he misses on this one.

[@richcharvel7162]

Yes. The original "Staying Alive" idea was a dark film too. Tony was a junkie/drug addict battling between the drugs and trying to become a pro dancer, I remember reading that back then.

[@tatysantos4448]

Hola JonnyBaak que tal.. porfavor un vídeo de Grease 2 otra pelicula infravalorada que tambien es estupenda gracias un saludo

[@youtubemember1115]

Patrick Swayze wasn't in this movie, it was another dancer named Dennis Daniels who looks like Swayze.

[@JonnyBaak]

Thanks for that, I got my facts wrong

[@youtubemember1115]

@@JonnyBaak Sure

[@dimitarvelitchkov4207]

I agree. Everyone can clearly see that his name does not appear on the list of dancers at the end of the movie.

[@martinpascoe7678]

I WANDER WHY YOU INTRO CYNTHIA AS A DANCER AND YET YOU CALL FINOLA (WHO IS ANOTHER DANCER, JUST AS GOOD) A 'SOAPIE STAR' FINOLA HUGHES. The only Non Dancer in this movie and it stands out a mile, especially in the scene where he replaces Butler lol, AND of course the Ending

[@christopherminjares7429]

Staying Alive is my guilty pleasure but that stallone script has some cringe worthy dialog.

[@kaltwies]

I guess not enough rape scenes for sicko critics. Staying Alive is WAY better than Saturday night fever. The writing in the original is almost nonsensical. If it wasn’t for the soundtrack, the original is almost unwatchable!

[@curly_wyn]

Wow you’re dumb

[@minidriver9344]

I just watched Saturday Night Fever and Staying Alive back to back, for the first time. I can't believe how good SNF is and I can't believe how bad SA is. The dance sequences in SA are hysterically tacky and unrelentingly awful. Everything about that alleged "hit" Broadway show is utterly ridiculous ("a descent into hell followed by an ascent to heaven" YIKES!) John Travolta's "little boy lost" shtick is grating as hell and his constantly oiled-up, steroid enhanced stick figure frame looks like it belongs on the set of a gay porn film (which is really what Staying Alive is). Frank Stallone's singing voice was probably the best thing about this horrible movie

[@juggalogamer8541]

Wrong!!!!

[@juggalogamer8541]

Just because somebody has muscles doesn't mean they're on steroids😂 And it's a Dan's class it's called sweating