Bite the Big Apple
Directed by Nancy Walker
Starring Steve Guttenberg, Valerie Perrine, Caitlyn Jenner
Released June 20th, 1980
Rated PG
The disco craze was all but dead by 1980, when Allan Carr produced and co-wrote (with Bronte Woodard) Can’t Stop the Music, a movie chronicling the formation of popular recording artists Village People. The film’s opening features Jack Morell (Steve Guttenberg) roller-skating through the streets of New York City, all smiles as The Sound of the City plays. Jack, who has just quit his job at a record store, intends to become a music producer (though his father would rather he go to dental school). If you are not smiling as much as Jack is during the opening credits, you are not on this movie’s glittery wavelength. Jack is a house sitter for supermodel Samantha “Sam” Simpson (Valerie Perrine), and I guess the guy wearing the Native American headdress (Felipe Rose) lives there too? There is no commentary on why he’s dressed like that, it’s just his thing.
Jack throws on some DJ headphones and plays some of the music he’s been working on over the loudspeakers at a discotech called Saddle Tramps, giving us an incredible time capsule of either the real disco scene at the time, or at least what the filmmakers thought the real disco scene looked like. Jack needs singers for the demo tape he’s working on, so Sam walks around the city eating ice cream while rounding up people from the village she thinks would be good candidates for the project. Jack, perpetually smiling, holds auditions for his new singing group, and we are introduced to the Cop (Ray Simpson), the Cowboy (Randy Jones), the G.I. (Alex Briley), the Leatherman (Glenn Hughes), and other people from the village.
There is a subplot featuring Caitlyn Jenner as Ron White, an uptight square who has recently moved to New York from St. Louis. Ron is a lawyer and potential love interest for Sam, but most of his role involves uncomfortable mugging for the camera. 1976 Olympic Gold Medalist Jenner proves that you can be the best at some things and not very good at other things, such as acting. Perrine, appearing here two years after her breakout supporting role in Superman, is delightful, and Guttenberg, so good in The Bedroom Window and Veronica Mars, gives perhaps the most exuberant performance in cinema history.
While the plot leaves a lot to be desired, the same cannot be said for what you see on screen. It’s never visually boring. Mixing animation, split-screen camera techniques, and hits from Village People, it all adds up to a movie you have to see to believe. During the Y.M.C.A. sequence, I was shocked to see full frontal male nudity, along with a brief glimpse of Valerie Perrine’s breasts. This is a PG-rated film! The standout sequence is the construction worker (David Hodo) singing I Love You to Death. It’s a jam that will immediately get stuck in your head. I speak from personal experience. Can’t Stop the Music is the only feature film directed by Nancy Walker, an actress best known for her role of Ida Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda. Walker does a fine job juggling the musical interludes with the plot (thin as it is), so I can only surmise she did not continue to direct movies because this film was a box office failure.
How accurate is this story of how Village People got together? I’m pretty sure there was no roller-skating Steve Guttenberg involved in their creation, but historical accuracy is the last thing you should be concerned about when you watch Can’t Stop the Music. You should be concerned about whether or not the music will indeed stop. While some may consider it a failure at worst or a guilty pleasure at best, for me Can’t Stop the Music is simply a fun film that knows exactly what it is and embraces campiness wholeheartedly. It deserves to have a much bigger cult following than it currently has, and hopefully Kino Lorber’s remastered Blu-ray and 4K UHD releases will help that cause.
The transfer on the Kino Lorber Blu-ray disc is impeccable. (Editor’s Note: The 4K UHD version was not made available for review). The colors are vibrant, and the 5.1 audio is well mixed, a combo that is perfect for dazzling your senses while the empty script whizzes past you like a bedazzled frisbee. The Blu-ray package comes with a nifty cardboard sleeve, for collectors that appreciate that kind of thing. Like me. I appreciate that kind of thing. The Kino Lorber Blu-ray disc’s special features include two interviews with Randy Jones of Village People, the theatrical trailer, TV spots, and two audio commentaries, one by comedy writer Bruce Vilanch with Jeffrey Schwarz (director of The Fabulous Allan Carr), and one by late film critic Lee Gambin with Village People expert DJ Maynard. How does one become a Village People expert? No one knows for sure, but undoubtedly, we stand in envy of their achievement.
