Need a John Travolta movie night? Add these highlights to your list
John Travolta is one of the biggest leading men of the last quarter of the twentieth century in mainstream American film. He got his start in the 1970s with a multi-movie deal for what would be two of the most renowned cult classics of the decade, one of which defined the 70s for millions of Americans growing up in the days of disco.
There was nothing bigger than John Travolta movies in the 1970s and again in the 1990s, but interest in our pal John slowed down soon after. Amid personal tragedy, scandal, and his tenacious ties to the church of Scientology, John Travolta movies stopped ruling the box office in the early 2000s.
However, John Travolta never stopped working and has starring roles in pictures as recent as 2019. If you have an itch for the man who was the face of disco for a generation, we have a list for you including all the must see-Travolta movies for a Zuko night to remember.
Saturday Night Fever & Grease
We won’t harp on these because we think you already know – but just in case, we need to emphasize there’s no John Travolta without Saturday Night Fever & Grease, and vice-versa.
Travolta signed on to both films in a three-feature deal with producer Robert Stigwood back in the mid-1970s, and with the deal, Travolta had locked in two of his first starring theatrical film roles.
Saturday Night Fever & Grease are not only the two quintessential John Travolta movies, they also show off his talent as a true showman; he sings & dances, and audiences knew upon seeing the films in the late 70s, they had a star on their hands.
Look Who’s Talking
Although Travolta became a superstar in the 70s, he had a resurgence in popularity in the 1990s with films like Pulp Fiction & Get Shorty. However, Look Who’s Talking transferred lead Travolta into the 90s when the film premiered in late 1989, and the film brought audiences the leading man in a whole new light.
Travolta plays a to-be father-figure alongside Kirsty Alley, and Look Who’s Talking brings us a solid family movie dripping with late 80s & early 90s nostalgia. Most importantly, we get to see Travolta show off yet another of his many talents: he’s a pilot in the movie, and flys planes IRL too.
Face/Off
Face/Off is another must-see on the John Travolta movies list. Face/Off is the only 1990s action movie you need to know about (and there is a sh*t ton), and it’s iconic for a reason.
With Face/Off, John Woo brings audiences an action blow-out with one of the strangest sci-fi plots ever to stretch the imagination. Not only this, but we see John Travolta play Nic Cage & Nick Cage play John Travolta. Can any of the John Travolta movies out there beat that?
The Thin Red Line
The Thin Red Line has no star, but John Travolta joins the ensemble cast of the 1998 epic featuring a group of the 1990s biggest (male) stars.
Travolta joins Sean Penn, John C. Reilly, John Cusak, Woody Harrelson, Jared Leto, George Clooney, and Nick Nolte (and that’s only who made the cut) in one of the only war movies of the decade to surprise audiences.
Terrence Mallick gives viewers a war movie unlike any other wih the film, where neck-breaking action & patriotism bordering on propaganda are traded for ethereal moments & soldiers basking in the clear ocean after having gone AWOL. Not only one of the best John Travolta movies, it’s one of the best films of the 1990s.
The Fanatic
Have you ever seen a movie that’s so bad it’s good? Let us introduce you to The Fanatic. There’s a short list of important reasons why you should see The Fanatic.
One: 2019’s The Fanatic is the latest film starring Travolta. Two: Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst directed The Fanatic (wait, what?). Three: Degrassi: The Next Class’s Ana Golja (aka Zoe Rivas) co-stars in it.
Finally, Travolta plays a super-fan on the spectrum who fawns after a super-celeb played by (wait for it) Devon Sawa in a cringe-athon bordering on offensive for the ages. The movie is super weird, but TBH? Travolta’s still got it.
