Xanadu

1980, Fantasy, 1h 36m

42 Reviews 10,000+ Ratings

What to know

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. Read critic reviews

You might also like

See More
The Meteor Man
A Fine Mess
Roadie
Deal of the Century
Funny Farm

Where to watch

In Theaters Rent/buy Rent/buy Rent/buy

Rate And Review

User image

Verified

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Rate this movie

    Oof, that was Rotten.

    Meh, it passed the time.

    It’s good – I’d recommend it.

    Awesome!

    So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

    What did you think of the movie? (optional)

  • You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Step 2 of 2

    How did you buy your ticket?

    Let's get your review verified.

    • Fandango

    • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

    • Cinemark Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Regal Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Theater box office or somewhere else

    By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.

    You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Rate this movie

    Oof, that was Rotten.

    Meh, it passed the time.

    It’s good – I’d recommend it.

    Awesome!

    So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

    What did you think of the movie? (optional)

  • How did you buy your ticket?

    • Fandango

    • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

    • Cinemark Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Regal Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Theater box office or somewhere else

    By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.

Xanadu Videos

View All Videos (10)

Xanadu Photos

View All Photos (18)

Movie Info

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.
  • Rating:
    PG
  • Genre:
    Fantasy
  • Original Language:
    English
  • Director:
    Robert Greenwald
  • Producer:
    Lawrence Gordon
  • Release Date (Theaters):
     wide
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Runtime:
  • Distributor:
    Universal Pictures
  • Sound Mix:
    Surround

Cast & Crew

Olivia Newton-John
Kira
Gene Kelly
Danny McGuire
Michael Beck
Sonny Malone
James Sloyan
Simpson
Dimitra Arliss
Helen
Katie Hanley
Sandra
Fred McCarren
Richie
Renn Woods
Jo
Sandahl Bergman
Muse 1
Marilyn Tokuda
Muse 6
Robert Greenwald
Director
Lawrence Gordon
Producer
Show all Cast & Crew

News & Interviews for Xanadu

5 Movie Musicals to Watch with Your Family During the Holidays
Five Favorite Films with Ellen Fox
RT on DVD: A Killer Sopranos Set; WALL-E Gets a Friend
View All

Critic Reviews for Xanadu

All Critics (42) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (12) | Rotten (30)
Full Review… Tom Shales Washington Post Full Review… William Thomas Empire Magazine Full Review… Jeff McLaughlin Boston Globe Full Review… Variety Staff Variety Full Review… Eric Henderson Slant Magazine Full Review… James Berardinelli ReelViews Full Review… Saffron Maeve Film Inquiry Full Review… Larry Vitacco Philadelphia Gay News Full Review… Jesús Fernández Santos El Pais (Spain) Full Review… Raquel Stecher Out of the Past Full Review… Lorien Haynes Radio Times Full Review… TV Guide Staff TV Guide
View All Critic Reviews (42)

Audience Reviews for Xanadu

  • Dec 08, 2015
    This horribly dated 1980 fantasy is such a trashy mess with no structure that it doesn't surprise me that the script was written during filming, and even if it has some (few) nice songs, it is shocking how they threw so much money into something that looks so tacky and cheap.
    Carlos M Super Reviewer
  • Oct 24, 2014
    Deliciously bad and campy. An absolute delight!
    Christian C Super Reviewer
  • Sep 06, 2010
    This movie is generally regarded as one of the worst movies ever, but it does have some good music, so I gave it one star.
    Aj V Super Reviewer
  • Sep 02, 2009
    An 80's film with Olivia Newton John after her performanse in Greese. Nothing special exept one good song.
    Arianeta L Super Reviewer
See All Audience reviews

Movie & TV guides

View All