Starring John Travolta, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jann Wenner, Marilu Henner, Laraine Newman, Anne De Salvo, Mathew Reed
Directed by James Bridges
Expectations: High.
I think it’s clichéd to open up with some variation of “Perfect was perfect!” but for what it was, Perfect was kinda perfect. Modern viewers are never going to understand what makes Perfect so exciting and entertaining; they’ll be lost in the sea of skin-tight, multicolored leotards and shaking asses. But where those modern viewers might call Perfect‘s dated and very ’80s vibe a bad thing, this was exactly what made it so enjoyable to me. It reminded me of my childhood when the aerobics craze was sweeping the nation, with hype so huge I thought aerobics had only just been invented. How proud I was at six years old to live in a time when we had discovered this new, fun way to tone our bodies.
Perfect tells the story of Adam Lawrence (John Travolta), a reporter for Rolling Stone who’s working on a huge story surrounding the investigation of a business man accused of shady dealings. While on an interview for this story, he happens to spot some 20-somethings heading for the gym in their wonderful ’80s aerobic wear. One article pitch later and Travolta is investigating the health club singles’ scene at The Sports Connection in LA, and ogling a furiously gyrating Jamie Lee Curtis.
So I can’t hold myself back any longer: the aerobics scenes are intense, sexy, hilarious, grotesque and gripping all at once. You simply can’t rip your eyes away; the intensity of the sexual energy between Jamie Lee Curtis and John Travolta demands your full attention. And even before Travolta suits up in his ’80s short shorts, when he’s just standing on the sidelines and watching Jaime Lee do her thing, the scenes are just as intoxicating. They do a great job to portray just how magnetic Curtis is, as Travolta — and the audience with him — zeroes in on her despite a full room of bouncing, thrusting bodies.
Speaking of these aerobics scenes: they are incredibly well-shot. Every bit of the frame is filled with moving bodies (or mirrored walls showing us alternate views of the same moving bodies), but yet the image is composed with such skill that it never becomes cluttered. Instead the fury of motion creates something like aerobic white noise, allowing us to focus completely on Jamie Lee Curtis. But even beyond those scenes, the rest of the film is also expertly photographed thanks to the work of illustrious cinematographer Gordon Willis. He also shot the entire Godfather series, Annie Hall and many others. The dude is a beast, and he brings a level of cinematic perfection to Perfect that I never expected it to have.
But I guess most people in the ’80s didn’t really care for this one. It was savaged by the critics, was nominated for Razzie awards, and it didn’t even make its budget back in box office returns. And I have no idea why! Perfect is definitely a little long in spots, but the acting is good and it always makes up for any slow-moving scene with yet another stunning aerobics blowout. Even the big emotional moment towards the end is scored by a freak-out version of the William Tell Overture and something like 100 people on two floors moving in aerobic synch. I expected to get bored of the aerobics, but by the end of the film I found myself copying the moves and wanting to re-watch the scenes. They’re just so intense, unforgettable and hilarious. See how this review keeps coming back to them, no matter what I start talking about? They’re just that good!
Anyone who’s done aerobics should know that there’s no way to have a good aerobic workout if you don’t have some killer workout music, and the soundtrack to Perfect is… wait for it… perfect! Jermaine Jackson’s (Closest Thing To) Perfect is one hell of a title track, fueling the furious hip thrusts and whiplash-inducing neck rolls with a driving beat and a killer hook. But don’t take it from me, watch the music video and treat yourself to an exclusive aerobic scene with Jermaine and Jamie Lee Curtis! The rest of the songs are great too, so if you’re a fan of pumped up ’80s pop you gotta track down a copy of this soundtrack.
Perfect also contains a ton of journalistic sub-plots and threads, so as the amateur, pseudo-journalist guy writing movie reviews, I really enjoyed these aspects of the film as well. Not as much as the neon spandex in the aerobic scenes, but almost as much. I also got a kick out of finding typos in John Travolta’s copy when Jaime Lee Curtis reads one of his pieces on his amazing, 1980s portable computer. Yeah, I know… I’m a nerd, but I’m OK with that. This movie was exciting on multiple levels.
So ignore whatever critical reviews you might have seen, or the 19% Rotten Tomatoes score, Perfect is a highly enjoyable slice of ’80s cinema. You’ll never see aerobics like this ever again in a movie, not because they aren’t enjoyable, but because they pulled it off so perfectly here. Just like you can’t capture lightning in a bottle, no one will ever be able to re-capture the energy and intensity in Perfect‘s furious aerobic workouts. Definitely check it out, ’80s fans.
And definitely make sure you come back tomorrow for Syreeta’s take on Perfect!
Hilarious! This was a good review. I have never even heard of this movie. I probably still won’t check it out, but I love super-cheesy 80s movies. Glad to know this one delivered.
Thanks! It’s definitely one that’s under the radar, but if you enjoy ’80s movies and furious aerobics then there is nothing better than Perfect.
Will…applause, applause, applause. This review is double kick ass. Too many times I had to stop because of the laughter. My favorite quote is “…the aerobics scenes are intense, sexy, hilarious, grotesque and gripping all at once”. Hil-ar-ious! I’m glad that your review kept going back to the aerobic scenes. They’re too good to ignore people! I love the gifs on your post. It was so hard to concentrate on your suberb writing and John Travolta throwing his junk in my face. John’s junk-Will’s review, John’s Junk-Will’s review…you both won. I got a piece of both and I pleased.
Thank you for bringing up critics reviews. I found a pattern with the bad reviews: the publish date of critiques. Most of the negative reviews are current and are by people who did not live in that era. Most of the positive reviews have older publish dates. The current reviews have a reminiscent quality that includes authors’ personal account of events and life during the eighties. No matter how many times I watch this movie, I’m boggled but the lack of love.
I was so excited that you took the pelvic challenge. Gyrating to music is kind of erotic. I’m not sure if your dry humping paid off, but I think you’re totally awesome to tear the air up with your pumping pelvis!
Thanks so much, Syreeta! I always try to put some comedy into the reviews, so I’m glad to make you laugh. The aerobics scenes really are too good to ignore. Since I watched Perfect, I’ve thought about them at least once a minute. They’re truly unforgettable, and infectiously fun to watch.
Yeah, I just read some bits of reviews on RT, and it seems like many are missing the point. Many talk about how the drama is ridiculous, or how they didn’t like that a Rolling Stone reporter wrote a movie about a Rolling Stone reporter. I didn’t see any mentions the aerobics scenes, which is ludicrous! This is an ’80s movie, and I think what a lot of modern viewers don’t understand about the ’80s is the overall spirit of fun. And Perfect captures that really well. Maybe I’m just overly nostalgic about the ’80s and the aerobics craze, but I thoroughly enjoyed Perfect, and I am also boggled that more people don’t like this movie. I had never even heard of it until you brought it up a few years ago.
And I can’t take credit for a full pelvic challenge, my back is too messed up to allow for that. But I did what I could, because the movie is so damn infectious I was compelled to emulate it. I couldn’t help myself! The soundtrack is so good too.