Welcome to Screen Gems, our weekend dive into queer and queer-adjacent titles of the past that deserve a watch or a rewatch.
The Restored: 54-The Director’s Cut
Director Mark Christopher vied for indie filmmaker stardom with his feature debut as a writer/director, 54. Named for the famous New York City hotspot that merged underground queer culture with mainstream celebrities, Studio 54 has become notorious for its hedonism. Christopher aimed to retell that story using a cast of up-and-comers, including Ryan Phillippe, Breckin Meyer, Salma Hayek, Mike Myers, Neve Campbell and Heather Matarazzo. The plot of 54 centers on Shane (Phillippe), a would-be model from Jersey City who lands a job bartending at Studio 45. While employed there, he saturates himself with the wild nights and sexual fluidity of the culture, and plays witness as it all comes crashing down.
Unfortunately, audiences in 1998 weren’t ready for the frank queerness of Christopher’s initial cut; they found scenes of teen heartthrobs Meyer and Phillippe having gay sex too disturbing. Miramax then recut the movie to focus on a love affair between Phillippe and Campbell’s characters. The studio cut of the film bombed at the box office and quickly disappeared from view, even as rumors of Christopher’s original cut continued to circulate.
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Fortunately, Christopher’s original cut of the film survived and resurfaced in 2015. The Director’s Cut restores 44 deleted minutes of plot, reduces Campbell’s role to a mere cameo, and includes some new narration from Phillippe, who considers the film some of his best dramatic work. With its queerness reinstated, 54 becomes an engaging drama about sexual exploration. We recommend it as worth a look, if for nothing else, then for the extended scenes of naked hedonism.
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Vince
Sadly for them it probably wouldn’t of bombed if they hadn’t sanitized out the gay stuff. Weird since Studio 54 was very gay. In the 90s gays were only supposed to be seen as non sexual. Thankfully we’re evolving.
I’ll definitely give it another watch.
heyace37
The preview of this “Director’s Cut” sure makes it look like nothing changed.
Josh447
I watched this a few years back and found it fun but don’t remember “director’s cut” to be part of the title. That could be a new add-on to up the clicks.
Josh447
Just watched it and it’s not what I saw a few years back, this was MUCH better. Much hotter and very engaging.
balttymore
Teen heartthrob and Mike Meyers name in the same sentence?
Josh447
Reread that sentence. It’s referring to Breckin Meyer. It didn’t say Mike Meyers.
garyinla
The problem with the initial cut was that the the editors didn’t realize that the star of the film is the club itself–its celebrity and mystique–and all that went on there. They made it into a romance. If that version wasn’t so awful, Mike Myers performance as Steve Rubell could have been Oscar-worthy.
Neoprene
Ryan Phillipe. Crappy actor. Amazing eye candy. Then and now.
Troysky
@Neoprene ….hate to admit it as I root for him in other films, but ultimately I agree with you, tho placing him a little closer to average acting. But man oh man does he have a nice ass.
Cam
Since both versions screen, I guess the only way to tell is to look for the running time.
StudioTodd
So what’s the running time on the director’s cut?
TomG
I saw what I presume was the edited version (Mostly for the shirtless guys) and found it interesting, and this directors cut should improve on that.