Xanadu

[Kelly]

I confess -- I adore this movie!!  It's one of my guilty pleasures.  I used to own it, and I was heart-broken when it broke in my VCR (it was an original release tape, very old and very worn).  My father tried to fix it, but no dice.  I've looked high and low for another copy, but it's hard to find.  The only thing I wasn't crazy about in this movie was Michael Beck -- I mean, this chick is Zeus' daughter and she chooses HIM??  There've been some hot babes in Greek mythology and she goes for Rebel Without a Clue...go figure.  He ain't exactly the kind of guy that I would give up Mount Halycon for, if you get my drift.  He's pretty homely, and somewhat dorky.  Maybe she was slumming...  I should add that I found really only one thing completely unbelievable in this movie -- the fact that there's a huge mural of beautiful women in togas painted on the side of a building in a large city, and not one single gang member with a paint can had defaced it.  I live in Victoria, B.C., relatively small city, but I can tell you that if there was a mural like that painted downtown, in about a week there would be nipples and pubic hair painted on those women, or perhaps red eyes and fangs.  Other than that, a nice fantasy flick.  The music rocks and you don't have to think too much...I like that in a flick. :-)

[nat]

I don't know what u r all getting so stressed about? It's just a film, completely harmless fun. Olivia looked gorgeous and the music's great. Where's the problem?

[ron]

Awww c'mon, Xanadu wasn't that bad. Had a great soundtrack, and Olivia Newton John is the babe of all time in my book. The worst thing about this movie was enduring that stiff Michael Beck.

This flick succeeds admirably as uninentional camp, but it will have you running to the 7-11 to pick up an issue of Playgirl. If that's a scary concept to you, you'll _hate_ this movie.

All I have to say is that this movie is pretty out of it, but that's what makes it so good. The fact that it is dumb. I loved this movie as a kid and still love it today.

[Kyle]

Love the movie...to each his own.

[Curt]

C'mon!!! ELO did the soundtrack even. I'll be the 1st to admit that the movie was a little corny, but when you are 12 years old and you already have a crush on Olivia, seeing her skate around in those cut skirts that showed lots of leg was enough to send you thru puberty!! liked the song in the cartoon as well.

[Brett]

Andrew, You obviously lack the one thing necessary to thourghly enjoy this movie....enough drugs.

[Paul Westbrook]

I don't see anything bad about Xanadu. Sure, it is an overlong music video type of movie, but there have been worse films made. Besides, who at that time didn't love Olivia Newton John?

[Alex Cockell]

The scoring of this film was also rather corny to say the least.  However, some segments only worked because of stuff being in the same key (witness The Tubes and Kelly's big-band stuff).

I gagged, however, during the Don Bluth segment, and Gene Kelly making like a pinball.

Actually... it was crap.

[Ginger]

As a MAJOR fan, I can't really say anything else about this film that anyone else hasn't already said.  I saw this movie in the theater on it's first release when I was 6 years old because I was already an Olivia fan from Grease. Honestly though, this is a junky movie.  And I only just realized that in the past 10 years or so (and it has hurt me to come to that realization).  But here's the major point: you have to be an Olivia fan, an ELO fan, and a child of the late 70's early 80's to love this movie -plain & simple.  If you aren't all of those things, you just wouldn't get it, and you never will.  P.S (To the guy that mentioned the KISS & The Phantom Of The Park movie - you hit the nail on the head.  REALLY, REALLY bad campy 70's garbage, but to me a KISS fan also, it was pure gold.
To each his own!

[MissMoonglow]

Come come now...as a seventh grade girl I saw this film and bought rollar skates immediately, complete with sparkly legwarmers! As time goes by, I do see it for the laughable attempt it was, yet I still love it. However, I am embarrassed for poor old Gene Kelly. You can tell by the look on the guy's face, especially during the godawful 'pinball' sequence, that he's wishing he should have ripped up his contract before ever stooping to this. Sure Olivia taps badly, but the gal got to tap badly with GENE KELLY! How many of us can say that?? Just like the creepy Pufnstuf episodes, it's something you just had to grow up with to love. (clap-clap - HO!)

[Sandyl]

I love Xanadu and the music of ELO and ONJ.  Great fantasy movie when you need a break from reality.

[Jamie]

Saw it again with my fiancee the other night, after telling her it was a silly guilty pleasure of mine (I was 23 when I saw it twice in one day in 1980). It is possibly the most overdubbed American movie (what, they did the original in Cantonese??) ever made, and for a musical, is annoyingly awful in sound editing. Having said that, however, it remains a great guilty pleasure, if for nothing else than the Kelly/ONJ dance scene. Kelly pulls off the scene by being so light, carefree and unaffected that I was struck by how romantic dancing was (even if I have two left feet). The Blume cartoon is stunning for its odd placement (fish? bird?) and Beck appears to be the first anorexic male actor of the '80s when he's skating through Malibu looking for Kira/mural. Goofy effects, silly plot. But there's an exuberant energy that leaves a grin on your face. Also, knowing that ONJ seduced the young Lattanzi wasn't a bad fantasy for us fellas!

[Kirette]

Yes-Michael Beck DOES look like ANdy Gibb. I personally find him a fox, but, there you go.
Fun movie-I have the DVD-it could have been better, and it was botched. I love musicals, but this one did have ELO and ONJ and Kelly. Long live Xanadu!