Thank God It's Friday

After a while, you do realize that this automatic time-capsule movie doesn't have much of a story, but it does have a variety of subplots wrapped up in a trim hour and a half. Basically, "Thank God It's Friday" is a one-night-in-the-life-of-a-disco-palace type of deal, involving a smorgasbord of characters. There are two under-age girls (Valerie Landsburg and future Berlin singer Terri Nunn) itching to enter the big dance contest, a married couple (Mark Lonow and Andrea Howard) out for a night on the town (against his wishes), the womanizing club owner (Jeff Goldblum), a nice but klutzy girl (Debra Winger) looking for a nice guy, and the harried DJ (Ray Vitte) being pestered by an aspiring singer (real-life disco queen Donna Summer). And there's a concert performance by Lionel Richie and the Commodores!

Is "Thank God It's Friday" a "good" movie in any sense? Not really, but it does provide a fair amount of amusement in its very dated way. Everything about it just screams the late 1970s, from the fashions to the tunes. Its episodic nature prevents us from getting too annoyed, since there are some characters, like Dave (Lonow) and Gus (Chuck Sacci) who wear out their welcome *quickly*. The soundtrack is fun to listen to, and Donna does belt out the number "Last Dance" which actually won an Oscar for Best Song. The performances range from even-keeled (Winger is quite appealing) to unpleasantly hammy (Sacci plays such a jerk, that you can't help but cheer when he gets slugged). Chick Vennera is quite a hoot as a veteran disco dancer who swears by his leather wardrobe. And DeWayne Jessie (a.k.a. Otis Day) shows off his talents by playing a van driver who's trying to get to the nightspot in time to deliver to the Commodores their instruments.

One of the writers of "Last Dance" was actor / songwriter Paul Jabara, who plays the guy who gets stuck backstage.

You just *know* that this one is going to show you some goofy entertainment with its spin on the Columbia Pictures logo sequence.

Five out of 10.

I was born in 1979, so I really can't say I know that time well. My generation sucks when it comes to being social and music, I was curious after seeing "Saturday Night Fever". Yea, disco to some, sucks. But they close minded folks you really don't want to be around. OK, polyester was hot has hell to ware, Carter was an idiot, people waited to fuel for hours, but people still knew how to have fun when times where rough.

If you want to step into a time warp, this is it. It's a light hearted take in 1978 when disco was huge. You could be anyone, any color, any sex………anything and just be open with who you where. The music is great, it's got a great "happy" beat to it. Seeing people I have only heard of was really neat to see. Donna Summer and Paul Jaba make an appearance and Debra Winger from "Terms of Endearment" was one of the main stars looking for "Mr. Right". Also Jeff Goldblum is the greasy owner of the "Zoo" (Dose this guy ever age?). All in all it was entertaining. If your looking for something to challenge your mind or award winning, look some place else. If you want to feel better, relax a bit, this movie is for you.

OK, true, it's dated, and shows its age, and this movie is far from a classic. What the hell?, see it anyway!!. This movie took place at a long gone disco in Los Angeles (Osco's), a favorite hangout of mine back when I lived in L.A. Even though the story is a bit far-fetched, its the DANCING, and MUSIC that brings this movie alive.

This is a fun movie, about a fun almost hedonistic period (remember, this was pre AIDS), when pretty much life was about just having a good time.

The one thing I remember most about the disco period is this: There seemed to be very few lines that divided, the rich, poor, black, white, latin..you name it... we all went to the same clubs, and listened to the same music. This is something you'll see represented in this movie, this cast was about a group of people that in todays society, would hardly be seen on the same street.

The group I'd recommend seeing this film now? young people around 15 to 25, maybe give them a little more focus as to why their parents are so weird!!!

Every late 70's disco stereotype is well represented, including a brief shot of a working 8-Track tape player. Want a funny flashback? Grab this one. (Want an Oscar-caliber movie? Get something else.) But then, where else can you get Donna Summer, The Commodores AND Jeff Goldblum all in the same film?

This is an easy movie to laugh at. It is very into it's time and it's music, fashion, the whole nine yards. This movie came out in 1978 when disco was at it's most popular. DJs who a few years later would get on the "Disco Sucks" bandwagon were still wearing their polyester suits and wearing gold chains, playing the soundtrack of "Saturday Night Fever" over and over again. It's easy to forget how big disco was and how serious it was for a brief span of time. This movie attempts to portray in a humourous way, a night at a very "cool" disco, presided over by a very "cool" owner and DJ, who played " cool" music all night long. It shows how a night at the disco affects several different kinds of people, from a couple whose marriage is on the skids to two underage girls trying to sneak in to enter a dance contest. The music is pounding, the drug use blatant, the clothes were wild, yes this was 1978. This was all a clever package, of course, to market the movie's fantastic soundtrack. Like the SNF soundtrack, this movie sold their double LP soundtrack like hotcakes. Live performances by Donna Summer and The Commodores add to this movies appeal. Recommended as a double feature with "Detroit Rock City" to show that there was two very divergent musical tastes amoung white kids in 1978.