Inside Story: Saturday Night Fever (2010)

*** (out of 4)

Good documentary about the making of Saturday NIGHT FEVER and how it almost wasn't the film that so many people came to love. The first portion of the documentary talks about how the original director, John G. Avildsen, didn't think too much of the screenplay and wanted all of the dancing and music to be taken out. The producer of the film notes that he fired Avildsen from the film the very same day that the director learned that he had gotten an Oscar-nomination for ROCKY. After this they turned back to the original screenplay and we learn how the supporting cast got hired, how the Bee Gees ended up doing the soundtrack and also why the producers were under pressure because no studio wanted to distribute the film. If you're a fan of the film then there's going to be a lot of great stories told here but if you already know most things then it's doubtful you're going to learn anything new. Those who aren't overly familiar with the film are going to enjoy this documentary a lot more because of all the stories told and there's no question that it gives you a clear idea of the various issues with the production. This includes issues with the Mafia, controversy over the subject matter and how Travolta almost walked off the film due to something that happened with the dance scenes. Most of the original cast are on hand for new interviews but the exception is Travolta who is only seen through older interviews done on the set and another one from 2004. The one negative thing about the documentary is that it quite often jumps back and forth and the "story" of how the film was made gets out of place.