Saturday Night Fever (rough draft)

 I meant for this to be on Letterboxd, but I dunno: I will just leave it here:

I did not anticipate just how brutal this film is in terms of just how people act to each other in it. They are wearing disguises, really, to hide who they are and where they are in life, the facade of cool or status, everything that is a microcosm of where we still are today: money, money, money. Frank, Jr, the “patron saint” of Tony’s family decides to leave the priesthood because, unlike others in the film, he doesn’t want to wear the mask, put on the uniform (as he puts it), and pretend to be something or someone he is not. And good for him. Because the parents might thrust on Frank, Jr, what they feel he should represent to make themselves feel, I dunno, important or spiritually uplifted (their dinner table nights together sure seem to indicate otherwise), but he makes a decision for himself while Tony is revived with renewed energy because he’s no longer the black sheep of the family, that for once he doesn’t have to walk into the living room where his big bro’s picture is as mother does makes the crosses across her chest. 

This hits a lot with me. The dad who’s been out of work (construction) for half a year fails to even credit Tony at all for his raise (he’s very good at the job, mostly selling paint and other items at a hardware store because customers are charmed by him), or just, every once in a while, not slap him on the back of the head or diminish him with slights and punching remarks. Or the mom who is clearly miserable and barks also at Tony when he gets in from work late. The grandma with those judgemental looks…I laughed at Tony mimicking Al shouting Attica as she looks on in horror.

There are scenes where Tony seems to be the center of attention within his dude bro orbit and yet doesn’t always seem comfortable with how they behave, not that he is some angel himself. Women, people he’s known growing up, go out of their way (especially Annette, who uses dancing as a way to just get time with him) to appeal to Tony, while he dismisses them or purposely lets them see his attention is elsewhere (Annette in a bar tries to talk to him about the big money dance but he’s looking at a dancer on the bar; a new dancer who sees Manhattan as her step up in the world draws Tony’s eye while Annette, his former dance partner, appears to be pushed to the side). It can be a bit sad, actually.