On its thirtieth anniversary (boy, does that make me feel old) John Derbyshire has a long review of Saturday Night Fever.

I learned a lot about it that I hadn’t known before. But then, I’ve never seen the movie, for two reasons. First, it had John Travolta in it. Second, it was chock full of disco, which I’ve long thought a tool of the devil, and did at the time. Like rap, I’ve never had much interest in music in which the drums (and occasionally bass) carried the melody. Also, as many have since noted, it destroyed vibrancy of the club scene for years, when it was a lot easier and cheaper to hire a deejay with his disco records than a live band. And because
of that, despite his rave review, I think I’ll continue to remain an SNF virgin.

[Update a few minutes later]

Here’s an endorsement:

Disco–favorite music of the deaf!