Xanadu

1980 Directed by Robert Greenwald

A Fantasy, A Musical, A Place Where Dreams Come True.

A beautiful muse inspires an artist and his older friend to convert a dilapidated auditorium into a lavish rollerskating club.

Olivia Newton-John Gene Kelly Michael Beck James Sloyan Katie Hanley Fred McCarren Ren Woods Dimitra Arliss Sandahl Bergman Lynn Latham Melinda Phelps Cherise Bates Juliette Marshall Marilyn Tokuda Yvette Van Voorhees Teri Beckerman Marty Davis Bebe Drake Matt Lattanzi

96 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by demi adejuyigbe 6

Sit through the credits for a fun surprise! (every crew member is credited as “cocaine”)
Review by Jeremy Wilson 5

To rate Xanadu is to not "get" Xanadu. It is 5 stars, it is 0 stars. It is the stars and everything in between the stars. Xanadu is not of this world and thus has little time for your Earthly star ratings or your critical analysis or your good taste. Xanadu is nothing and Xanadu is all.
I mean, how many movies have as many WTF moments as this? Should be cherished as the ridiculous cultural artifact it is. How can you hate something so patently ridiculous?
And gosh is Olivia Newton-John pretty. Plus, I could watch Gene Kelly do pretty much anything for 90 minutes. Michael Beck has all the charisma and talent of a wet toad here, but…
Review by brat pitt ★★½ 9

happy 4/20! this movie isn’t real <3
Review by suzanne by leonard cohen ★★★★★

you know what? fuck it. five stars.
Review by Colin the dude ★★★★½ 5

The first time you watch 'Xanadu' you're a sponge absorbing the madness. You take it in, ridicule it, spit it out. The second time, if a second time doesn't sound like suicide, the experience is much kinder and the unapologetic sincerity behind it spreads like a contagion. Most are immune, but some get infected. Consider me infected. If you're an ELO fan, the film is wondrous background noise. And when you're watching the screen, there's magical colors, tap dancing, roller boogieing, laser beams, coked up dancers and it's cheez wiz heaven. 'Xanadu' is a beautiful bridge between the old (the Gene Kelly generation) and the new (the Olivia Newtown-John generation). Or more like a rainbow of 70s decadence and the pot of gold at the end is the 80s. The 60s closed with Altamont and the 70s had 'Xanadu'. The end of an era.
Review by katie ★½ 4

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

hey, at least it has a better plot than song to song
Review by laird 4

Stray thoughts:
I strongly suspect that this movie, released in August of 1980, was directly or indirectly responsible for Ronald Reagan winning the U.S. presidential election that November.
I'm disturbed by the ontological implications of a universe in which Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman exist, but Gene Kelly isn't Gene Kelly, he's just a weird clarinetist who can dance really well.
I'm glad I'll be seeing HOLY MOUNTAIN again soon as it seems a fitting double bill.
I don't care what anyone thinks, I really like Jeff Lynne and ELO.
Review by celia ★★ 4

split screen gene kelly roller skate tap dancing
Review by Travis Lytle ★★★★ 4

"Xanadu" is nuts. An original musical that blends Greek myth with Gene Kelly and roller skating, Robert Greenwald's film is a slice of early 1980s cheese too committed to whatever it is trying to do to be written-off as the schlock for which it could be mistaken. It is a strange, silly collision of camp and earnestness whose exuberant charm and melodic hooks allow the right audience to completely overlook the goofiness coursing through this oddball cinematic concoction.
The story has something to do with a muse, played by Olivia Newton-John, who winds up meeting Michael Beck's artist and redirects his path. This new path finds the artist enamored with the muse and joining creative forces with Gene Kelly's musician…
Review by Cam ★★★ 4

”It needs some fixing up. but I think it could look terrific.”
“So could the Titanic”
Top 3 trivia and thoughts regarding Xanadu’s & don’ts!
#3 Michael Beck didn't have to audition for the lead in this film….and became exhibit “A" of why you should ALWAYS require auditions for the lead in a film.
#2 According to Olivia Newton-John, the script was written during filming, which is surprising because you really can’t tell…..*cough, cough*….Oh man, it hurts when I lie.
#1 The word "Xanadu" is spoken 21 times in the last song….and the phrase “WTF” is spoken at least 21 times by those who view it.

And one final question:
Can one man save an awful movie, make it watchable, and even a bit magical? ...Yes he can!
Cheers Mr. Kelly! You were truly a national treasure.
”Kid you don’t need a builder. You need a demolition team.”

Cinematic Time Capsule - 1980 Ranked
Cinematic Cheese – 1980
Review by hamfruitcake ★★★★ 3

I'm not going to lie, I want to be Olivia Newton-John in this movie.
There's so much going on here, it's like the 70s threw up on it. There's neon, there's roller-skates, there's terrible screen wipes, there's extended dance numbers. If you hate any of these things avoid this movie at all costs. Otherwise you will find Gene Kelly giving a charming and committed performance which is fabulous.
The only bad point for me was Michael Beck being a black hole of charisma, the guy is terrible (great legs though.) Soundtrack is epic.
Review by MrSneakyMan ★★★½

You know it's funny, I thought I hated this movie.
It's the often, and quite unfairly, maligned film that served as a cinematic dividing line between the 70s and the 80s. It is thought of as a dumb, cheesy movie with a weird premise. A dumpster fire of bad ideas and execution. But it's only sins are that it absolutely loves the disco era aesthetics that became passe right when it was released and it isn't afraid to be goofy.
With the perspective of time, Xanadu is a well put together musical. With amazingly colorful photography and art direction. Great costumes and dancing. Great, poppy as hell, music from Jeff Lynne and ELO. There's even sweet animated sequence by Don…

Recent reviews

Review by LastNameLeft ★★★

It’s Gene Kelly and Electric Light Orchestra in a movie about a roller-skating muse who opens a nightclub. I’m not going to give it one star, ok.
Review by Lucy Walker

a delight!!!
Review by Michael Chandra ★★★

duh, who doesn't want to dance with rollerskating pop-glitter goddess called olivia newton-john? this is iconic in a WTF way.
Watched on Hulu with Cinemax add-ons (US Region)
Review by Churd

Absolutely defies expectations in every way. So much of this is bad and so much of this is wonderful. This makes no sense and it's all the more wonderful for it.
Gene Kelly gives it his all and the world didn't deserve it. I hated it and I loved it... what a flick.
Review by calypte ★½

This is not a good movie, but it was a heck of a nostalgia trip :)
Review by mafê ★½

difícil acreditar que o gene kelly realmente se sujeitou a essa humilhação
Review by Maz ★★★★

Nothing but good vibes,..no peril just lycra and being a bit horny and gene Kelly. Y do critics hate joy????
Review by ‮חוה‬ ★★★½

i've never really seen a film about nostalgia that is so wholeheartedly excited about the present and future. i think that's really something special
Review by Maggie ★★

yeah!
Review by JelleBean ★½

Not one of the best HDTGM movies!
Review by MartaaC ★

My film history professor highly suggested watching this saying its the best gay musical ever( i honestly don't know if we watched the same film) . He will be receiving a wtf email from me very soon and his sanity will be questioned.
Review by Dennis Ogburn ★★½

Gene Kelly is the only actor who can confidently roller skate in this roller skate centric bombazon..