54 (movie)

French theatrical poster for the movie 54, which was released in France as Studio 54 From Outcyclopedia, the free and queer encyclopedia. 54, realeased in some countries as Studio 54, is a 1998 film written and directed by Mark Christopher and starring Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, and Neve Campbell. It also stars Mike Myers as Steve Rubell, the notorious cofounder of Studio 54, a New York City night club famous in the late 1970s and the setting for the film. The film also featured Sela Ward, Cameron Mathison, Breckin Meyer, and Sherry Stringfield. The movie is a fictionalized account of the history of Studio 54, seen largely through the eyes of Shane O'Shea (Phillippe), a kid from New Jersey who gains first admittance into the exclusive disco and then a job as a waiter there thanks to Rubell's admiration for his youthful good looks and athletic physique. O'Shea becomes quickly seduced into the decadent world of Studio 54, where drugs flow freely and sex with "the beautiful people" can be easily had in the balconies and backrooms. He also comes to see Rubell's dark side, that of a ruthless businessman and a coke addict, who isn't above luring the male help into bed with not always truthful promises of a raise or promotion. The film ends with the famous IRS raid in which Rubell is arrested for tax fraud and evasion, an action which essentially dealt the death blow to New York's most notorious nightclub. 54 gained a considerable gay following soon after its release, in no small part due to the plethora of male flesh exhibited on the screen. Stills from the movie which showed Phillippe in a Santa Claus with the jacket seductively left open are still frequently posted on gay internet forums and newsgroups. External links: 54 at the Internet Movie Database Entry added 9 February, 2005. This article uses material from the Wikipedia article, "54 (movie)." All text is available for use under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (see Copyrights for details). DISCLAIMER: This is not an adult site, and does not contain any pornographic images or material. Any references to sex or other adult material or behavior is made from a purely academic standpoint. Images used on this site are credited whenever possible, and any whose copyright status is in dispute will be gladly removed or credited upon request. Not all persons listed on this site are or were openly homosexual, but reasonable conclusions about their sexuality may and has been made from diaries, letters, and other writings and accounts made by them and/or those who knew them. Several others are heterosexual and are included here for the impact, whether positive or negative, they have made on queer culture and history.