A Fantasy. A Musical. A Place Where Dreams Come True.

This weekend we gathered our friends together for a rousing showing of Xanadu, the unforgettable 1980 roller-skating musical starring Olivia Newton-John as a Greek muse, Gene Kelly, and Michael Beck. I’d never actually seen the movie before, but I was intrigued by tales of roller skating, leg warmers, ultra kitsch, and all around bad taste. So naturally I couldn’t wait to watch it. The movie didn’t disappoint.

My friend’s 3-year-old son, Eli, was completely enraptured throughout the film. He lay on the floor with his chin cupped in his hands and had a steady stream of questions, such as “What are they doing?” and “What’s happening?” and “Why are they doing that?” He is a very astute child. I wasn’t exactly sure what was going on as I watched the move either. Luckily for us, Eli seemed content with answers like “oooh - its magic!” and “look - they’re dancing” and the ubiquitous “look at those people roller skating in funny outfits!”

Xanadu has been panned by critics from the moment of its release, and it’s not hard to see why. The terrible dialog, the “ethereal” neon glow surrounding Olivia and her muse sisters, the cartoon bird with leg warmers, the roller dancing… this one definitely falls into the “so bad it’s good” category. We were in hysterics pretty much throughout the entire movie.

Of course, it is precisely Xanadu’s status as one of the worst movies of all time that has propelled it into the beloved cult classic it is today. It is even being remade as a Broadway Musical.

The bottom line:
Xana-don’t? No! This movie is a Xana-must!