Xanadu (1980) - Deep Dive 

Xanadu is absolute nonsense, but between ELO, Olivia Newton John, Gene Kelly, and all the neon, I loved every minute. It's just such a joy, and I'm glad yall had as much fun with it as I always do. I think the only reason it gets so much flak is from the timing, because it came out JUST after disco died. For me, I've always believed in disco just as much as Xanadu does, and so I will always believe in Xanadu.

There was a Xanadu musical on Broadway. I saw it opening night. The cast was on roller skates THE ENTIRE TIME. It was wonderful

My parents named me Kira all because of this movie. ( I always joke that I wish my name had come from The Dark Crystal instead, because I like that movie more, but it came out 6 months after I was born and Xanadu came out 2 years before I was born.) My mom loves Xanadu and gets so frustrated that it gets so much hate and people make fun of it so much. I love that you guys loved it and might have to send my mom a link to your video!

I HAVE THAT JACKET!! My sister took the record cover to a seamstress and had a jacket made for me that looked EXACTLY like the one in the movie!! I wore it to the Physical tour when I was in the sixth grade!!

Well, I'm getting old. My wife loved this movie and saw it when it came out in theaters. When we met she showed it to me and on our first anniversary, I was able to get Johns' autograph on a record that I gave to my wife. She still has it. A bit over six years after the movie came out. I apologize if I'm rambling... Time for this geezer to hit the sack.

9:29 "Those women just let him take the motorcycle." OK, first, it's a moped, not a motorcycle. Second, those women are muses, they were dancing five minutes ago and you've already forgotten them. C'mon, I picked up on this when I first saw this movie, and I was twelve.

this movie is always a guilty pleasure for me. yeah its cheesy but it's steeped in childish enthusiasm which we don't really see anymore. it always brings me back to my early 80s childhood.

I'm so glad you all enjoyed the movie because it's one of my all-time favez! It's just so bizarre... and so fun. ✨ By the way, the Big Band stuff was 40s (not 50s).

I unabashedly, unreservedly and some other un words, love this movie! Gene Kelly is incredible, Olivia Newton-John is amazing and ELO are fantastic. Love the music and dancing and even if the plot is thin enough to see thru it gets me from one amazing scene to another.

My high school put on a stage musical adaptation of Xanadu, a fact that I'm still wrapping my brain around.

Bought the Blu-Ray last month (it's a bit grainy) and showed it a few times. People love or hate it. Took the wife and 5 kids to the roller rink yesterday while wearing my "DISCO" tank top and had 'em play XANADU. What a fun time!

I love this movie with all my heart. All of it. ALL. OF. IT. I was 5 and a half years old when it came out, and I saw it twice that year. It was, like, second to "The Empire Strikes Back" in my world. In the years since, I've revisited it, and found it to be... ... ...just as wonderful, if not moreso, than it was when I was in kindergarten. Everything you guys see in it is what I see in it. All that joy, all that fun. So I thank you for seeing that, and saying so.

The fact that you all understood this movie (Thin plot, excellent music and hella fun), restores my faith in humanity a little. I was 11 when it came out and saw it at the theater. I became the biggest ONJ fan. You guys are totally rad! :)

People hated this movie because it's corny. Corny like Kansas. Corny like ten Kansases, all growing too much corn. The 80s band in the literal mash-up is called The Tubes and if you don't know The Tubes you're missing the 80s. Find their 'Love Bomb' album and listen to side 2.

I don't think the dancing with Gene Kelly part was a disconnect. She came to HIM too back in the day. He was a musician and she was his muse. He was remembering and in the middle of it I think the muse kind of helped his memory along there to make him feel better. Musicians are, after all, another kind of artist and muses in mythology are a source of inspiration.

I saw Xanadu when it was originally released in 1980. As a teenager, I loved the super stylized nod to the big musical form but I learned over the years to keep it a guilty secret because so many people hate this movie. I was so delighted that you didn't tear it to pieces and even admired what was cool about it. Thank you!

Gene Kelly's last dancing movie.

I love how positive this show is. Even in the face of extreme adversity you all keep your chins up and look for the silver lining. It's refreshing.

Why does this channel not have WAY more subscribers? Oh, 'cos it's quality content and no click-bait ;)

I am SO glad you guys loved it. I try to explain this film to people and they don't "get" it and it's... Just amazing

Thing is that Xanadu is barely an 80's movie. It is almost entirely a 70's movie--the disco aesthetic, the music, the extravagance--with a bit of 80's futurism mixed in.

14:00 "Don't Drink, Don't Smoke, What Do I Do?". I could swear she was quoting Adam Ant there.

Xanadu: the movie that requires no plot. Just Electric Light Orchestra and dance numbers. BTW I love the movie too.

How can you possibly be depressed watching Xanadu!!!! 🤨😍🤗 To fill ya in. The plot is 'Don't give up on your dreams.' The story is about an artist who loses faith in his vision and is 'kissed by a muse.' That inspires him and another man, who gave up on his dreams, to try again and see his dream/vision come to fruition. Falling in love with a muse is an age old mythos. Just look at old mythology - cupid/psyche, Ecco, Narcissus, et al. And remember...this coming out of the 70's (pre AIDS) the world was still optimistic - follow this up with Bruce Jenner and the Village People in Can't Stop the Music. Same year same era.

Too many years ago this was the first movie I ever rented on VHS. It remained a guilty pleasure for years.

Xanadu is an epic guilty pleasure of mine - love this episode. :)

Okay oddly enough I was a huge Olivia fan and roller skating fan back in 1980 when this came out. I was 9 and really looking forward to it. The odd part is I was disappointed back then. But as I got older I really really appreciated the whole movie for what it is. The music soundtrack by ELO and Olivia has gotten me through the past ten years of my life where I went through many struggles including divorce. As I got older I find myself realizing that Gene is the main character and it is his dream that is fulfilled and I really identify with his character. I am glad you all enjoyed this awesome film. Thanks for being open minded and having fun with it. Yes it is about creativity and can have tremendous appeal for those accepting it for what it is.

3:16 hold on, one of the choreographers was kenny ortega?? like, high school musical kenny ortega?????

I love you guys. I was dreading you tearing Xanadu apart. I've loved this movie since I was a little kid. I got the soundtrack on vinyl at age 5.

Yeah. I saw Xanadu in the theater when I was a kid. Olivia Newton John made me feel funny, and I liked it

I hope you all know there's a stage musical of this (I'm only a little way into the video) that's 1000% more campy than this and it's AWESOME and it also allows directors like me to torture chorus people by making them learn how to roller skate. Normally, you can only do that with "Starlight Express."

Saw this in the theater when I was 11. Loved it then and now.

God, I love these. Deep Dives are appointment viewing.

This is my first interaction with Xanadu and I'm perfectly okay with that. 😆 Y'all are fantastic!

Fun movie which gets beat up by critics too often. Anyone who doesn't like Gene Kelly, Olivia Newton John, and ELO have no heart or spirit.

The most leisurely whistling dance number ever. This is a deep dive into fun that I didn't know I needed until now. Love it!!

Can not unhear Olivia Mutant John!

Xanadu just played at the Texas Theatre on Friday. It is so fun seeing it on the big screen.

Holy Mackerel! You guys had me laughing. Great chemistry. What a joy to watch. You pegged every reason why I liked it. Oh, and the parts I didn’t like. You gotta new subscriber. 😉 Budget Andy Gibb. Lmao!!!

This movie came out when I was 9 and I loved it then and still do! I had two record albums growing up that I played all the time! One was the Grease soundtrack and the other was the Xanadu soundtrack! Everytime I hear ELO I think about all the roller skating I did at that time period all over my neighborhood! And this movie made me fall in love with 1940's (NOT 50'S!) style and I love big band music because of this movie!

OMG. So, my dad was working at Don Bluth Studios when they did the animated sequence for Xanadu. We saw the movie in the theater when it came out (yeah, I'm old). I don't think I've actually watched it since then, but I may have to. You guys were having so much fun! I just remembered thinking that Gene Kelly was great, Olivia Newton-John was great, the music was good, the video for the song "Dancin'" was pretty cool (the way they merged the two parts), Michael Beck's acting was so wooden, and the rest was just kinda blah.

My first reaction is that this movie belongs squarely in the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope, but as a Muse that's kind-of literally the job description, so...? Regardless, I LOVE this movie.

Firstly, I cannot applaud your attitude & approach enough... All the love to y'all! Next, a bit of trivia your sweet young selves might not know: Y'all are spot on that this movie is most off, but all talent is on point. To wit, the 80's fabulosity singer is a fair bit o' trill named Fee Waybill. He & his band "The Tubes" went on to be some early Mtv/early 90's alternative music makers of note. Just thought you'd enjoy knowing if you didn't, already. Please keep on as you have been. It is greatly appreciated.

"1950s 'This is your frame' vs the 1980s 'THIS IS YOUR FACE!'" Best part xD Never heard of Xanadu, great episode :D

I am a Ginormic, Hugantic fan of this film, I actually saw it 20 times when it hit the Ziegfeld Theater in New York, back in 1980, and I ended up getting quite a number of souvenirs from the staff and I still have all of those souvenirs till this very day. You guys gave me plenty of laughs, I enjoyed this video, so glad I stumbled onto this page, you guys are Everything!!!

What was the closing quote of the "Fans" webcomic? "Dreams die. Dreamers die. But even in the worst of human worlds... ...dreaming never dies."

You guys, what you keep calling the 50's is actually much more like the 40's. Big bands. Fedoras. Carmen Miranda for Christ's sake. Sorry. I know you're millennials, but come on.

If it has Electric Light Orchestra it's good(Most of the time)

That was an awesome video. Xanadu was a childhood memory of mine. I just ordered Xanadu on DVD. I just love cult culture. The music was wonderful and my Mom and step-dad love ELO. This a movie you really have to pay attention to. Sonny and Kira were meant to be together!

Good gosh darn, Mikey, your hair is looking 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥.

The ridiculously kind women who let Sonny take (and eventually crash) the bike were actually two of the muses. So they knew what he was about.

"Suddenly" is sung by Olivia and Cliff Richard (who gave her big break on British tv). Some great songs came out of this film.

So great to watch and i enjoyed it but the decade showcased was the 40’s not the 50’s. small critique but other wise awesome

Thank you guys for this. I remember loving this as a kid but I couldn't recall why. I watched this and then went right to Vudu and bought it. Much love, gang!

This was just as amazing as I believes it would be :) Love watching you guys do this.

Okay guys, I just want to thank you for the most enjoyable 30 mins I've spent in a long time. So, I was 11 years old when this movie came out, and I loved it from the start. I literally saw this movie more than 10 times in the theater when it came out in the summer. Over the years, while I certainly recognize the lack of plot or acting, I still love it to this day, but I've kind of been in the closet because I've never met anyone else who gets it. Except my kids, who I indoctrinated at an early age. Watching you guys love it for exactly the reasons I do was immensely enjoyable. Thanks.

I've never seen Xanadu, but now I want to! Also I love the beauty marks on y'all's face. 😍

I love Mikey's hair. Not just in this episode, not just in this style, but in everything I have ever seen him in and in every style he has tried. The man's hair is a gift from the gods.

those of you who live in massachusetts, the somerville theatre is showing xanadu on a lovely 35mm print june 30th, 2018. part of their midnight special series

Xanada had it's network premiere on CBS Primetime May 26 1984.

From the IMDB page: Famously received the one sentence review: "In a word, Xana-don't". According to Olivia Newton-John, the script was written during filming. Gene Kelly took the part of Danny McGuire because filming was a short drive from his Beverly Hills home.

This film is so bad it's magnificent. The soundtrack is so good it's fantastic.

Love this movie! The soundtrack was great ELO and ONJ I had this soundtrack on vinyl when it came out

I got an ad for diving products before this video and it made me so happy to realize it’s probably because I’m watching a video called “deep dive”

This is one of my all time favorite. Episodes.Ya'll are too damn adorbs. I enjoyed y'all watching & enjoying this movie way more than watching the movie myself. Good job

How do you think presenting XANADU in black and white is OK at all!

This is a flick I haven't seen since the early 80s as a small child. It's kinda like my first time all over. First time, all over. So many first I didn't want to do over. So. Many. Only a minute in and already more fun. Thank you!

I really enjoyed those snarky lines at the beginning and your joy throughout.

Budget Andy Gibb ... I love it. I also have loved this movie ever since I first saw it in the theater at age 12, so even though you guys recognize it as bad, I'm glad you share my appreciation for it.

You four are fantastic, I love the dynamic of this show

Great video! It was so refreshing to see a younger generation enjoying one of my favorite films from my childhood! I literally use to get into fights with my cousin when playing because we both wanted to be Kira! I would always win because Kira and I are blondes and my cousin is a brunette!! lol PS I totally have this soundtrack in my car CD player 😁

Please do a little more research. The big band era was the 1940's, not the 1950's.

Olivia Newton John lead me here RIP😢

Xanadu is my favourite movie of all time. I'm related to Kelly Groucutt the base player of ELO. Its The 1940s not the 1950's

Ten year old me REALLY LOVED this movie...honestly, 50 year old me Still really loves this dopey movie because it reminds me of how happy it made the dopey 10 year old me!

This is a movie I have been cherishing forever and loved every minute of it!! It’s a movie that will never make me stop dancing

I just discovered your channel. You guys had me laughing so hard. Loved the reaction and loved the movie.

I adore this movie though XD. I"m a child of the 80's and this movie is SO 80's lol. all the neon, the roller skating. EVERYONE roller skated on the weekend. There was a roller rink in every town, often more than one lol XD. Incidentally, the muses weren't "inspired by his crappy art." he is lacking inspiration to make the art he wants to create and the muses specialize in inspiring people, especially artists, to do their greatest work. It was his frustration that woke them to help him ^^

This was really fun to watch. I loved the movie as a kid but your review is the best

Five years later and the world is still sleeping on this gem. It's like cotton candy. All sugar and fluff. No substance. But in the absolute best way possible. And the soundtrack is exactly the same.

This video was absolutely bizarre and I loved every bit of it.

I think Xanadu has a better soundtrack than Grease.... Anyone else agree with me?

How is everything on this channel so great.

I desperately want to watch a movie (literally any movie) with y'all.

But did you know !!!!!!! There's a Olivia Newton John bio series on Australian television right now.

I adore this movie - the soundtrack, the colours, dancing, visual effects, the over-all "fun-ness" of it. The acting was pretty cringey a lot of the time and the "plot", such as it was, was nothing but an excuse to throw together music, dance routines, costumes and makeup - but it's got awesome music and great fun moments all the way through it. Showed it to my kids (all born this century) - yes, I have the DVD... and the soundtrack on CD - and they loved it and still enjoy listening to the music. The main "Xanadu" song was playing in K-Mart and my son started singing along - I warned him that he was likely to scare adults by the fact that someone _his age_ knew the song and its lyrics. Can't really go too wrong with ELO's music, though, and Gene Kelly's dancing was as glorious as ever - still could "cut a rug" at that age (around 68 at the time!)

I wish I had something I loved as much as Zoe loves this movie.

I love this movie too. I went out an bought the soundtrack decades ago.

I'm here as a die hard Mikey fan. I've watched all of the deep dives, and it wasn't until this one that I realized what Elisa reminds me of. She's like a fierce-ass female Rufio. I mean that in the best way, too. Thanks for being awesome, y'all!

this flipping series is giving me life

Hell yeah! XANADU! I was 9 when I saw this in the movie theater and completely fell in love with Olivia Newton John.

I absolutely love this movie. It is wonderful. The music is totally awesome. The story premise is awesome. A muse inspires an artist to open a dance club. That is an amazing idea. From there it is fun to go through the story. I am a huge fan of Greek mythology. I am very fond of the Muses. I am an artist myself, so that is something I deeply relate to. So this movie seems great. I recently learned that this movie got a lot of hate and criticism. I am shocked. There may be issues of plot acting, character and even cinematography. However I can power through all of that pretty easily and just enjoy the show. I like this video in that it does bring up the positives. It is fun to see giggling reaction and people gush afterward. My favorite scene is the animated part. I have heard comparisons of this to other shows. This video mentions Sword and the Stone. That really got to me. I thought there was something familiar about that scene, but I couldn't put my finger on it. This video nailed it. It is just like Sword and the Stone. Now I wonder what Kira and Sonny would look like if they turned into tree squirrels. I bet they would be so adorable. Aww. Cute little squirrels. The boy squirrel would chaise the girl squirrel, and they scurry up and down trees. Actually that is just like the squirrel scene in Sword and the Stone, except with the gender flipped. Oh well. At least the fish and birds are covered. Maybe there is a reason why I like Xanadu despite the movie being hated so much. I personally have a high tolerance for musicals. Maybe it has to do with me growing up with Disney movies. Sword and the Stone is only the tip of the iceberg. When characters in a show burst into song, I don't get jolted out the story. I don't lose suspension of disbelief. I am just so used to singing that I just go along with it. It may be an acquired taste. Heck if the music is good enough, I can even tolerate a weak plot. Musicals I like include Fantasia, Three Caballeros, Magical Mystery Tour, The Wall and Rocky Horror Picture Show. All of them have horrendous plot, but the music is too good to miss out on. I guess Xanadu is another one. I haven't seen it in a long time, but I would like to do so again. This video did mention Grease. That is another movie I haven't seen in a long time but want to see again. I link Grease and Xanadu together in my mind. The one main thing they have in common is that both have Olivia Newton John as the lead actress. I like Xanadu better. The story is a lot better. Art and mythology are at least interesting to explore. High school drama on the other hand is gosh awful, and it is so boring. I think the moral is better too. Xanadu has a nice theme of living your dream. It may come off as corny or naive, but at least there is good intention behind it. The only part of Grease I remember is Sandy getting a makeover in the end. When I think of it, it sends a bad message. It is about giving into peer pressure, a woman changing herself to be with her man, and starting the unhealthy habit of smoking. I wondered if I was reading too much into things. I Googled it, and I found very thorough explanation on why Grease is problematic. Yikes! Xanadu gets a bittersweet ending where Sonny gets Xanadu and looses Kira. In a way, I am kind of glad Kira left. She didn't have to completely change who she was, just to be with her man. That is way better than her Grease counterpart, Sandy. I actually have mixed feelings about Grease. The story is bad. However the music is so good. It is a joy to listen to. I think it is a bit better than the music of Xanadu. Grease is one of the movies that has my favorite soundtrack. The only soundtracks I like better are movies based on real world bands, such as Magical Mystery Tour and The Wall. I think it healps that Grease came out in the 70s and was set in the 50s. That is just the right timing. I love oldies music, and that is just the right time. I even wonder if that music taste helps me tolerate musicals, especially older classic ones. The story and morals of Grease aged like milk, but the music aged beautifully like fine wine. There were times where I would only watch the movie DVD a few times, but I would play the soundtrack CD on repeat for ages. People treat Xanadu the same way. The movie itself was a major flop, but the soundtrack album went double platinum. Grease is essentially in the same position as a lot of other musicals I enjoy. So I would like to try out watching it again. Since I know what I am getting myself into, I may enjoy it. It still won't be technically good or whatever. Yet it has the potential to at least be a fun ride.

I was born in 1976 and saw this movie on cable TV in the early 80s and totally fell in love with it and the soundtrack. All these years later I still do. It's totally ridiculous and there is NO PLOT but god damn, everything about it is somehow still perfect anyway. Aside from that momentum-killing country number during the finale. Like, what were they even thinking? Also how did you review this without talking about that ridiculous bit where Sonny meets Zeus?

Someone send them TWO OF A KIND or A MOM FOR CHRISTMAS! Make it an ONJ trifecta!

A Joe Bob Briggs would say, there wasn't a lot of plot to get in the way of that movie.

Yeah that's the 1940's, not the 1950's.

Elisa and her reactions are so cute.

I'm a B I G ONJ fan and saw this when it first came out in the theater (I was 19). My initial reaction was...."hmmm, okay", but over the years I've realized what a triumph it really was, especially considering they really did rush to make it.

So if this was 1980 and it was full of 80s staples, did it invent some of them or were they already a thing in the late 70s?

Huh. Mikey and Eliza have matching beauty marks. Cool! ... why?