Xanadu

PG

Released Aug 8, 1980

1h 36m

Fantasy

List

30%

43 Reviews

Tomatometer

58%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Struggling artist Sonny Malone (Michael Beck) is trapped in a dull job painting album covers. He is instantly attracted to Kira (Olivia Newton-John), an anonymous woman randomly photographed in the background of one of his assignments, but no one is able to identify her. Visiting the auditorium where the cover was shot, Sonny finds the mysterious beauty, an ageless Greek muse, who encourages him to team up with old-fashioned Danny McGuire (Gene Kelly) to build a roller-skating disco.

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Critics Consensus

Not even spandex and over-the-top musical numbers can save Xanadu from questionable acting, unimpressive effects, and a story unencumbered by logic.

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Ky W

Beyond amazing campy cheesy family fun. Great music.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/07/22

Full Review

Mike P

Strange and terrible disco movie is only good for a few laughs... An album cover designer, Sonny, (Michael Beck); meets his muse Kira, (Olivia Newton John); who inspires him to resurrect an old nightclub as a roller disco. (Once you drag "roller disco" into the plot description all credibility goes right out the window)..And the plot is just all over place, wildly incorporating different story elements, like roller skating, with Greek Mythology, with disco, with ancient Chinese mythology, with the LA nightlife scene, with disco, with poems from Samuel Taylor Coleridge; with jazz-punk fusion, with disco, with WW2 war stories; with fantasy stories about spirits in the material world, with disco...and so on... everything but the kitchen sink, in other words. It even has an animated scene where the leads turn into fishes for Godsakes! And start singing!! And sometimes a big crazy kitchen sink story like this can be a lot of fun; but this movie doesn't have the panache and style to pull that kind of thing off; so it just comes off as weird...As if the producers were really stoned when they wrote this...The only commendable thing here is the music...By ELO...That's actually pretty good most of the time. (The album was actually a smash and one of its singles, "Magic", hit the number one spot on the Billboard charts for several weeks... Even if the movie itself bombed). And that's not enough to recommend it. 👎 P.S. There's an excellent Broadway spoof of this which is much better than the original; and is definitely worth checking out if you get a chance.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/26/24

Full Review

Nizar N

This movie is not everyone's cup of tea, which is why it gets the mixed reception that it does. The reason is that it's not made for someone looking for a good plot. It's made for people who love music and dancing; and what better way of catering to their taste than collecting Olivia Newton-John, Gene Kelly, and Electric Light Orchestra? Xanadu features great music and great numbers, that no matter your opinion about it, you will sure end up leaving while still singing the song of the same name.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/09/24

Full Review

Trlora R

Yes it's totally 80's cheese, but for me it's a blast back to my childhood - standing on my mums coffee table dancing and singing my heart out! Lots of dancing, and all on roller skates, even includes a 4th Bee Gee brother!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/24/24

Full Review

James M

Such a bad movie, the only thing good about it was it wasted my time, never watching again(never should've watched it in the first place.)

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

12/19/23

Full Review

John S

Gene Kelly, Olivia Newton-John!!! What chemistry! This is one of my all time favorite movies with some of my all time favorite songs.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/06/23

Full Review

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Robert Greenwald

Director

Olivia Newton-John

Kira

Gene Kelly

Danny McGuire

Michael Beck

Sonny Malone

James Sloyan

Simpson

Dimitra Arliss

Helen

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Xanadu: Official Clip - All Over the World

3:48

Xanadu: Official Clip - Don't Walk Away

2:20

Xanadu: Official Clip - I'm Alive

3:56

Xanadu: Official Clip - Dancin'

4:48

Xanadu: Official Clip - Suddenly

3:54

Xanadu: Official Clip - Fool Country & Xanadu Reprise

3:22

Xanadu: Official Clip - Suspended in Time

3:33

Xanadu: Official Clip - Whenever You're With Me

4:36

Xanadu: Official Clip - Xanadu

3:00

Xanadu: Official Clip - Drum Dreams

3:23

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Tom Shales

Washington Post

"Xanadu" cannot possibly be described as a good movie, but it can be recommended to those who can tolerate large amounts of intravenous marzipan.

Apr 1, 2019

Full Review

William Thomas

Empire Magazine

This modern musical with tunes written by Where Are They Now pop band ELO falls flat on its face simply because the premise is so utterly ludicrous.

Rated: 2/5

Apr 1, 2019

Full Review

Jeff McLaughlin

Boston Globe

The acting is wooden, the direction and cinematography confused, the special effects largely out of place, the dramatic interest nonexistent.

Apr 28, 2018

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…This may not be Xanadu as Orson Welles or Coleridge imagined it, but it you’re looking for a gaudy pleasuredome with Gene Kelly dancin’ to ELO, you’re absolutely welcome to this one…

Rated: 3/5

Oct 24, 2022

Full Review

Saffron Maeve

Film Inquiry

It was never designed to age well and oddly, because of that fact, it remains relevant to this day. It's this impermanence that makes Xanadu feel significant; a then-product now-relic of the 1970s that celebrates the disco-era long after its demise.

Mar 13, 2021

Full Review

Larry Vitacco

Philadelphia Gay News

Xanadu offers a wealth of special effects entrancingly strung out along a rather impoverished screenplay.

Rated: 3/4

May 27, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

Struggling artist Sonny Malone (Michael Beck) is trapped in a dull job painting album covers. He is instantly attracted to Kira (Olivia Newton-John), an anonymous woman randomly photographed in the background of one of his assignments, but no one is able to identify her. Visiting the auditorium where the cover was shot, Sonny finds the mysterious beauty, an ageless Greek muse, who encourages him to team up with old-fashioned Danny McGuire (Gene Kelly) to build a roller-skating disco.

Director: Robert Greenwald
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal/Universal Int
Rating: PG
Genre: Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 8, 1980, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 18, 2014
Runtime: 1h 36m
Sound Mix: Surround

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