Xanadu aims at too many marks
“Xanadu,” the new song-filled extravaganza starring Olivia Newton-John, Gene Kelly, and Michael Beck brings to mind the old definition of a camel: a horse designed by committee.
Presumably, the idea behind “Xanadu” was to create a movie entertainment that would appeal to wide audiences by putting a frothy Forties-style musical into a contemporary package.
For older audiences, there’d be the magical presence of Gene Kelly and a healthy dollop of nostalgia. For movie-goers in their 20’s and 30’s, there’d be soft-singing Olivia Newton-John of “Grease.” And for the younger crowd, there’d be Michael Beck of “The Warriors,” songs by the Electric Light Orchestra, roller-skating, and lots of flashy special effects.
So much for good intentions. The net effect of this something-for-everyone approach is a camel of a musical: a slow and often bumpy ride.
The plot, intended to be light and breezy, is a little too will-o’-the-wisp to work. Newton-John plays Kira, a muse from Greek mythology who appears in present-day California to serve as inspiration for a struggling artist, Sonny Malone (Beck), who earns a meager salary painting oversized record-album covers.
With Kira’s inspiration, Sonny quits his job to help an old clarinetist, Danny Maguire (Kelly), open a new roller nightclub called Xanadu. At one point, screen-writers Richard Christian Danus and Marc Reid Rubel inject the notion that Kira served as Danny’s muse back in the Forties when he played with Glenn Miller’s band, but that angle evaporates as quickly as it materializes.
Inevitably, Kira and Sonny make beautiful music together, but there’s that age-old problem of a mixed marriage be-tween muse and mortal to cause complications. In terms of entertainment, however, the problem with Kira and Sonny is that their romance just doesn’t touch off many sparks.
Beck isn’t as charismatic as John Travolta, Newton-John’s co-star in “Grease,” and he doesn’t sing either, eliminating any amorous duets. Newton-John can’t pick up the slack, especially since she goes through most of the movie dressed like Little Bo Peep on roller skates. And since the love angle between Newton-John and Kelly is glossed over quickly, there’s little for the old song-and-dance man to do except lend a hand to a few numbers that seem to feature costume changes as the primary attraction.
“Xanadu” does have several things going for it, notably some imaginative dissolves when the story cuts from scene to scene, several appealing songs, and a clever fantasy sequence in which a hard-rock group does a duet with a big band from the Forties.
One other plus is the musical’s low-keyed, good-time approach, going to great lengths to appeal to family audiences. One four-letter word is included, probably to ensure that the film would be rated PG instead of G - the biggest bane at the box office.
“Xanadu,” directed by Robert Greenwald, opened Friday at area theaters.
By Jim Wright, Movie Critic
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