The Secret Disco Revolution

Slant Magazine by

Jamie Kastner bows fully to hedonism in lieu of all the scholarly theories on disco's lasting impact--a tidy but gutless way of tying together so many disparate arguments by such disparate people.

The New York Times by David DeWitt

The Secret Disco Revolution, however limited, is one smart documentary. It’s so clever that it makes fun of itself.

Village Voice by Ernest Hardy

The film isn't as smart on the issue of race as it needs to be, and its feminist read of the music and scene feels forced in places, but as an entry-level conversation starter, it gets the job done.

New York Daily News by Joe Neumaier

Some may still be surprised at this fun, well-informed chronicle of what was happening in the U.S. as lighted floors, boogie shoes and Saturday night fevers were the rage.

New York Post by Kyle Smith

Its priceless clips from the disco era aside, The Secret Disco Revolution laughably fails to turn Barry White and Donna Summer into the Che Guevara and Emma Goldman of the dance floor.

Portland Oregonian by Marc Mohan

Disco scholars convincingly analyze lyrics and fashions as presenting bold expressions of sexuality and democratic hedonism, while Kastner doesn't skimp on the vintage clips, which range from unintentionally hilarious to surprisingly impressive.

Los Angeles Times by Mark Olsen

The movie feels like a flakey, off-the-cuff blog post that somehow transmogrified itself into a feature-length documentary.

Time Out by Michael Atkinson

Kastner’s history is simplistic, his pacing is glacial and his film is laboriously constructed around a campy fictional trio of caricatured gay-black-girl “masterminds” planning the “revolution,” thumbing through a “manifesto” and sprinkling glitter ritualistically on a mirror ball.