Perfect (1985)

Adam (John Travolta) is an intrepid reporter for Rolling Stone magazine currently chasing the biggest story of his career while in LA....when he suddenly comes up with an intriguing back-up story: how healthclubs are becoming the singles bars of the 1980's. :P  And he zeroes in on one healthclub in particular which is called "The Sports Connection" and there he becomes immersed in their world, he is mostly drawn to Jessie (Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis) who is a very charismatic aerobics instructor drawing enthusiastic crowds, though also has a past.  He begins chasing a story about her while also falling for her....and complications ensue.  Directed by James Bridges (The China Syndrome, Urban Cowboy), this was wall-to-wall pelvic thrusts and mid '80's synth-pop music and is otherwise hard to categorize...which might be a major reason it flopped so hard upon initial release almost forty years ago.  But it has since garnered a cult following and is fondly remembered by many as a campy time capsule from a different era.  It also co-stars Laraine Newman, Marilu Henner, Mathew Reed, and Anne DeSalvo.

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Transcript

PERFECT – 1985

Directed by James Bridges

Starring John Travolta, Jamie Lee Curtis, Anne DeSalvo, Marilu Henner, Laraine Newman, Matthew Reed, Stefan Gierasch, Kenneth Welsh, and Jann Wenner

Genre:  Journalistic Music Video (Audio clip)

What a borderline incomprehensible mess of a movie. 🫣 And yet with some well-shot jazzercize thrusting sequences, SO much bizarre product placement for Rolling Stone magazine (magazine founder and editor Jann Wenner pretty much playing himself....not the most flattering portrayal either), the strange kick of watching Travolta TRY to portray a hard-hitting journalist, and a pretty strong soundtrack, I STILL quite find it quite rewatchable. Go figure. 😄

The biggest letdown might still be the central relationship at its core - mid '80's Travolta and Jamie Lee is an inspired pairing, this could have been the most scorching screen couple of the decade. But disappointingly, the movie really never does anything with it - the sexiest scene between them involves the clunky '80's version of "sexting" as written on an old-school word processor. 😮 The movie also pretty much has two divergent plots which never really converge and I GUESS there's some theme about journalistic ethics but it's never really developed, leading to a muddled ending which just feels rushed even though this thing inexplicably clocks in at two hours. 

Yet as directed by James Bridges (The China Syndrome, Urban Cowboy....both far superior films he did right before this) and shot by legendary DP Gordon Willis (The Godfather Trilogy, Manhattan, All The President's Men), the film LOOKS great and even fools you at points that it's approaching being a serious movie brushing on any number of serious themes including journalistic ethics and body image...but that ends up being one of its bigger issue as it can never quite commit to a tonal direction: Gritty Expose OR High Camp. 

Of the overall cast, Jamie Lee seems to be having the most fun on-screen as she just brings an effortless charisma to her performance as Jessie, "The Aerobics Pied Piper." 🤭 But even her character is underwritten as she's given ONE really strong piece of dialogue towards the end….which I’ll get to in a bit.  Probably the two standouts from the supporting cast are Lorraine Newman (hot off of SNL at the time) and Marilu Henner (hot off of....Taxi?) as two workout buddies/roommates who are polar opposites, resulting in some genuine pathos for Newman's character in likely this film's ONE genuinely emotional scene. You feel for her character of Linda who's clearly in a bad place.

This comes agonizingly close to being a full-on guilty pleasure along the lines of Staying Alive (which was Travolta's previous film at the time) though it just never reaches those Satan's Alley-like heights! Yet I cannot deny that with its share of sequences of Jamie Lee and John just LITERALLY aerobicizing in each other's directions from across a crowded room....it has its moments. 😉 If nothing else, it's worth at least one watch just as a goofy capsule for a time when having a reporting gig at Rolling Stone would allow you to jet-set around the world.

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

Ok considering the venue of health clubs…..and journalistic offices…..and strip clubs…..and dingy courtrooms…..yeah this movie has a confusing pallet for sure.  But regardless, the overall wanna-be high-energy vibe would seem to lend itself to a high-energy and this one doesn’t disappoint…GOOD workout music of course, featuring a nice selection of pop artists relevant to this era including Wham, Dan Hartman, The Pointer Sisters, The Thompson Twins….and Jermaine Jackson (yes of the Jackson Five) teaming up with EARLY (just before her first album was to be released) Whitney Houston.  Yeah that’s right we hear this over what is likely THE most iconic pelvic thrust sequence which would be “Shock Me.” (Audio clip)

Good stuff for sure but there is ONE obvious choice for this category….and this song is SO catchy and well-positioned that this is the RARE occurrence of something which was egregiously done throughout the ‘80’s on a lot of soundtracks, when the studios and/or labels would attempt to double or even TRIPLE dip prominent songs at different points throughout the movie…..um yeah Top Gun, I’m looking in YOUR direction….hey “Danger Zone” is a good song but THREE TIMES?? Come on now….well speaking of Top Gun, remember ANOTHER song from that soundtrack, a lovely ballad which won an Oscar no less? (Audio clip) 

Yup that song came to us from a pretty successful new wave/synth pop band formed in Los Angeles back in ’78, gaining some notoriety with catchy hits throughout the ‘80’s….I’m referring to BERLIN.  Lead by singer Terri Nunn and bass guitarist/vocalist John Crawford, and keyboardist David Diamond, they performed their share of catchy pop songs around this time always with strong production behind them as well.  Well the year before, they contributed a song for this soundtrack which is used VERY well at two different points….even though both are thoroughly ridiculous on the surface.  One occurs about half-way through when this movie remembers at least for a few minutes, “Hey we’re supposed to have FUN right?” And this sequence IS fun….the Rolling Stone crew has sent its intrepid photographer, the sassy Frankie played delightfully by Anne DeSalvo….she kicks things off with encouraging some of the beefier gym-rats in the locker room to strut their stuff and she just starts snapping away….fun montage! (Audio clip) 

Even better though….tonally it honestly doesn’t gibe AT ALL with ANYTHING which occurs on-screen for the last 30 or so minutes by hey we’ve got a good looking cast who likes to aerobicize so why not?  Let’s have an end credits send-off for each of the main cast bopping to the camera….INCLUDING Jann Wenner from Rolling Stone??  Well hey, the dude’s sweating to the oldies so why not?  The song is the fast-paced and irresistibly catchy “Masquerade.”  (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film):

It would be almost TOO easy to choose either of the two leads but honestly, they still make this worth watching for the most part.  Probably among the many bizarre narrative choices which Bridges and crew make when it comes to this movie is one particular character who has by far the MOST dialogue devoted to him throughout this movie and that would be computer magnate Joe McKenzie.  This ongoing Justice Department investigation into fraudulent practices by this guy – related to drugs, computers being sold to Communist countries, whatever – becomes the lynchpin for the plot to the point where Adam’s decision to NOT turn over tapes of his interview with McKenzie to the Feds becomes THE dramatic fulcrum of the third act.  It speaks to his integrity as a journalist I guess…..even though he WAS planning on running that sleazy feature about the club.  I’m at a loss as to why this subplot takes over the main plot but even moreso…..after so much build-up about this McKenzie guy, it’s pretty much a let-down when we meet him BRIEFLY….in a limo…..about to have an extensive off-screen interview with Travolta’s Adam.  As written, he doesn’t say nor do much….as played by the late great character actor Kenneth Walsh, he’s barely given ANY-thing to do on-screen.  It’s just confounding as they could have gone TWO routes to remedy this: give the character something interesting to say or do on-screen in a manner which affects the plot…..OR with limited screentime but maximum off-screen lip service….stunt casting.  Nothing against Walsh who was a fine actor but if we saw just a brief glimpse of this mysterious tycoon played by mid ‘80’s……Warren Beatty, Burt Reynolds….I don’t know…..maybe a bit more mid-tier but still PRESENCE….Terence Stamp, Dabney Coleman….then at least we could have had a couple of minutes of screentime, then thinking, “Ok so THAT’S McKenzie…wow” But alas the character just feels like a let-down….. 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

If I’m being honest….besides the canny use of that one Berlin song and a few select shots of pelvic thrusts, it’s kind of slim-pickings here.  This movie is VERY repetitious and it FEELS like half the runtime is spent watching Travolta’s Adam have cut-off phone conversations with his editor.  That said, we get to hear ONE short, stirring monologue towards the end from Jamie Lee – while Adam is stuck on an extended phone call, her character Jessie has perused his word processor and started reading the latest version of his feature on her club, “The Sports Connection”….it’s called “Looking for Mr. Goodbody” and it’s about the whole meat-market aspect of the club which Adam had previously claimed was angle he wasn’t taking with this article but BOY DOES he.  The feature even gets into pornographic detail about Lorraine Newman’s troubled character Linda and how she tries to initiate sex with multiple men at the club at the same time.  Yeah pretty ugly stuff and needless to say Jessie is disgusted enough to just start erasing it….when Adam comes in. (Audio clip) 

PERFECT….Hence the title!  Good stuff but it’s hardly discussed nor mentioned for the remainder of the film……

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

Pretty much every one involved from the top-down in this movie has better in other stuff….it’s ALSO slim-pickings.  I mean I thought MAYBE Marilu Henner as her Sally is a fun, intriguing character but nah….she was more entertaining to watch just the year before in the underrated spoof comedy Johnny Dangerously co-starring with Michael Keaton. (Audio clip) 

I have to go obvious here but as she REALLY gives it her all with an impressive physical performance, it’s gotta be Jamie Lee.  You 100% buy her as this rare gem of an athletics instructor….she’s truly commanding the screen during those dance sequences, it’s kind of exhausting to watch her at points even. But it leaves a mark, it’s ICONIC and SO very ‘80’s.  For delivering the best performance in this movie by DEFAULT mind you….Jamie Lee Curtis is the MVP. (Audio clip) 

Final Rating: 2.25 stars out of 5 

Happy 40th Anniversary to one of the more memorable camp classics of the 1980’s! 

Streaming on Prime Video

And that ends another EMERSONIAN review!