Comments on: The Late Movies: “Xanadu”

By: lindsay

lindsay — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 06:39:37 +0000

igrew up watching xanadu and i still love it to this day! i think alot of people probably secretly like it but just have to jump on the xanadu sucks bandwagon because they dont have minds of their own! ive seen the same thing happen with another childhood favorite- howard the duck! people will never admit they like it! i feel so lucky to have grown up in the 80s! what a fun decade it was! and i still get all warm and fuzzy when i watch the magical movies they made back then!

By: Marty

Marty — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 03:25:42 +0000

While not perfect, (and not really a disco movie, either)”Xanadu” is a lot of fun and perhaps its bad reputation precedes itself. Like many others on this post, I fell in love with this movie when I was a wee lad of only 11 and never looked back! As much as I love it, I have to admit, it is a little fun to pick on it! (Someone once remarked that Olivia Newton John dances as well as your average 5 year old at a recital. LOL)

And to those of you who dislike “Xanadu,” you should really check out the Village People trainwreck “Can’t Stop the Music.” (yes, 1980 was not the best year for musicals). Makes “Xanadu” look like “Casablanca.” No. Really.

By: themoi

themoi — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:06:12 +0000

I couldn’t belive a great actor/singer like Gene Kelly would star in this trash. Must have been despearate for the money or believed the hype that it would be a good show.

By: harpo

harpo — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:07:13 +0000

Is it me or does it seem innocent,like it was made by a fourteen year old girl in the first blush of love? Certainly not a cinematic masterpiece but even good hearted dreck has a place somewhere.

By: bzzyb

bzzyb — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:39:00 +0000

I’m with Jenny. I loved it as a kid and spent hours roller skating around in a dress and leg warmers. I found it one day on cable about 10 years ago and for the first time realized why everyone thought I was so strange as a child.

My sister actually bought me the DVD for a joke at Christmas a couple of years back. My 9-year-old daughter absolutely loves it so I guess it was a well spent $5.

I do have to say that I still love the music. The story was way cheesy, but the music is still awesome.

By: brittany

brittany — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:58:53 +0000

I grew up listening to ELO….my boyfriend grew up lusting after Olivia….Xanadu brings people together. :)

By: Jim

Jim — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:28:51 +0000

“‘The Warriors’ opened a lot of doors in film, for me, which ‘Xanadu’ then closed.” -Michael Beck

By: Brandi

Brandi — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:25:05 +0000

I think we all need to lighten up a bit, here. Xanadu is far from the worst movie ever made. Let’s take a look at some of the positive points of this unique movie:

1) GREAT songs
2) Gene Kelly – he sings, he dances, he rollers skates and he fakes playing the clarinet quite well
3) A great Don Bluth animation sequence
4) It’s a nice little time capsule for the transition from the 70′s to the 80′s
5) Olivia Newton-John’s leg warmers

This movie may not be ‘cool’ by today’s cynical standards, but it certainly can be a lot of fun when viewed with the proper mindset.

By: Joe

Joe — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:02:44 +0000

The trailer made realize that I was lucky to grow up in an era where trailers were voiced over by Don LaFontaine.

By: VM

VM — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:55:21 +0000

Xanadu already came and went on Broadway.