Studio 54
Zeitgeist Films | Release Date: October 5, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
70
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 22 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Film ThreatDante JamesOct 4, 2018
Celebrities. Privilege. Debauchery. Hedonism. We’ve all heard the stories about the most infamous (and legendary) nightclub of all time, Studio 54, but we didn’t have all the facts…till now. Read full review
90
VarietyOwen GleibermanOct 4, 2018
The film shows you the club from every angle, and seems to be gawking at every patron. It puts us right inside. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyOct 4, 2018
One of the great surprises of Matt Tyrnauer’s giddy glitterbomb of a documentary about New York’s infamously Caligulan Me Decade hot spot is discovering how much of our culture (the drugs, the music, the sexual liberation) is wrapped up in one nightclub that existed for a mere 33 months. Read full review
83
IndieWireDavid EhrlichOct 3, 2018
Studio 54 isn’t an especially clever or innovative film, but it taps into its namesake’s dormant spirit, and reclaims a famous piece of Manhattan folklore for the people who made it possible. Read full review
80
EmpireOlly RichardsOct 4, 2018
A fascinating documentary that captures all the glamour and grubbiness of the 20th century’s most famous nightclub. All the thrill of being there with none of the hangover. Read full review
80
Film Journal InternationalDavid NohOct 4, 2018
Matt Tyrnauer’s documentary finally tells its full story, and an enthralling, sometimes absurd, sometimes very sad and at times almost unbelievable story it is. Read full review
80
The New York TimesGlenn KennyOct 4, 2018
The movie is a fast account that is sometimes a tad facile in its analysis of a cultural moment. But as Mr. Schrager’s personal too-much-too-soon story, it’s compelling. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperOct 25, 2018
The original Studio 54 lasted for only 33 months. In 98 minutes, Studio 54 captures the club on its best nights and on its worst mornings. Read full review
75
ObserverRex ReedOct 9, 2018
As a savage tale of how unparalleled success can feed the kind of toxic greed that orchestrates eventual downfall, Studio 54 is as unsettling as it is exhilarating. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineChuck BowenOct 2, 2018
The documentary nurtures our sympathy for Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager without shortchanging their hypocrisies. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreSep 28, 2018
Funny, few people have fond things to say about the decade that followed. But Studio 54 they want to remember, or hear about if they were too young to get a gander at it in its glory. Studio 54 gives them their most thorough look back yet. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinOct 11, 2018
Ultimately, Studio 54 proves a nostalgic, sometimes wistful, other times unsettling look back at a singular period of time. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriOct 8, 2018
Swift, entertaining documentary. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeOct 4, 2018
Relying on interviews with Schrager and other insiders instead of cramming in every celeb who graced the dancefloor, Tyrnauer delivers a meaty and transporting portrait. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenOct 18, 2018
It’s a tantalizing offer that’s stuffed with celebrity, scandal, hedonism, and riches and all the sex, drugs, and disco that money could buy. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeMark FeeneyOct 24, 2018
The documentary is good on the gay aspect of 54, and disco generally. Schrager became highly successful as an impresario of boutique hotels. Still, when he talks about Studio 54 there’s a touch of wonder in the tough-guy growl. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerOct 11, 2018
The film ends with the mention of Schrager’s full pardon in 2017 by President Obama. If the discotheque was non-judgmental, so is the film. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comOdie HendersonOct 5, 2018
Studio 54 is at its best when detailing the history of the New York City clubbing scene. Read full review
60
L.A. WeeklyAlan ScherstuhlOct 11, 2018
Helped along by news clips, the filmmakers do better with the crash-and-burn business story than with the actuality of the Studio experience. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawOct 4, 2018
An entertaining documentary. Maybe the full story of Studio 54 has yet to be told. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleWalter AddiegoOct 10, 2018
In the end, there’s some naughty, voyeuristic fun to be had from Studio 54, but the bottom-line story of the club — assuming that is of value — is still to be told. Read full review
50
TheWrapDan CallahanOct 4, 2018
Studio 54 is a case of a documentary attempting to tell a story that obviously cannot be fully or satisfyingly told at this juncture. As such, it has value only insofar as it suggests how much that era cannot quite be re-captured. Read full review
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