May 19, 1978
Columbia
Comedy, Musical
VHS
C
This plays like one of the more forgettable episodes of The Love Boat, only with casual drug use and of course a disco setting. There are different plot threads and characters, many of them involving romance, and they only somewhat overlap. None of them is particularly interesting, and I can only recommend this movie for maybe half a dozen decent to good songs and a chance to spot a handful of people who went on to better things, notably Fame's Valerie Landsburg (playing a teen who's supposed to be a marvelous dancer, although we can't really tell from the brief sample) and poor Debra Winger, as a nice girl looking for a nice guy.
And there's Jeff Goldblum, still only 25 at that point, but looking older and reptilian as the sleazy owner of the Zoo disco. His character tries to seduce Sue, played by Andrea Howard, who'd be the love interest in The Nude Bomb. Her husband Dave is played by Mark Lonow, who'd be a Father of the Bride in The Wedding Singer.
As for the music, Donna Summer sings the Oscar-winning "Last Dance" and three other songs, and the Commodores sing "Hot to Trot" and the classic "She's a Brick House." Just about everything else is forgettable, except for the over-the-top title track, which makes the Columbia lady boogie down.
Phil Adams, who's Tarzan here, would be a "hood" in C.H.O.M.P.S. Wade Collings would also dance in Can't Stop the Music. MacIntyre Dixon, a bartender here, would have a more substantial role, as Cole Oyl in Popeye. Paul Jabara, who plays Carl and performs (on the soundtrack rather than as Carl) "Disco Queen" and "Trapped in a Stairway," wrote not only "Last Dance" but "It's Raining Men," which plays in Bridget Jones's Diary among other movies.
Director Robert Klane went on to the Weekend at Bernie's movies, which I don't own.
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