Main Cast: David Paymer, John Travolta, Jamie Lee Curtis, Anne de Salvo, Marilu Henner, Laraine Newman, Jann Wenner
Release Year: 1985
Country: US
Run Time: 119 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Based on a series of Rolling Stone articles by Aaron Latham, this romance was set in the world of L.A.'s hip fitness scene. Rolling Stone reporter Adam Lawrence (John Travolta) comes to L.A. to write a story about a prominent businessman who's been arrested for drug dealing (shades of the John DeLorean scandal). He's also decided to research a piece on the exercise fad and how health clubs have become the "singles bars of the '80s." His boss (real-life Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner as himself) OK's the project. At a club called The Sports Connection, an incognito Adam meets the regulars, including promiscuous Linda (Laraine Newman), airhead Sally (Marilu Henner) and aerobics instructor Jessie (Jamie Lee Curtis), a former Olympic swimmer. Adam and Jessie begin a romance, but it ends when she discovers that he's there to trash her and the club in print. Conflicted, Adam wrestles with publishing the story, but the final decision isn't his. A director of sincere, sober dramas, James Bridges was an odd choice to helm the romantic Perfect (1985), widely considered one of the decade's notorious cinematic misfires. Bridges had enjoyed much greater success with his previous collaboration with Travolta, Urban Cowboy (1980). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Mathew Reed - Roger; Charlene Jones - Shotsy; Andrea Adams - Sports Connection Member; Kurek Ashley - Sports Connection Member; Candy Ann Brown - Sports Connection Member; Laurie Burton - Mrs. McKenzie; Frank Cavestani - TV Reporter; Murphy Dunne - Peckerman; Chelsea Field - Randy; Stefan Gierasch - Charlie; Gregory Hormel - Party Guest; Paul Kent - Judge; Michael Laskin - Government Prosecutor; Lorrie Marlow; John Napierala - City News Editor; Laura Owens - Receptionist; David Paymer - Managing Editor; Tom Schiller - Carly Simon's Friend; Robert Stark - Government Prosecutor; Ken Sylk - Tod; Ann Travolta - Mary; Sam Travolta - Hotel Desk Clerk; Kenneth Welsh - Joe McKenzie; Perla Walter - Grieving Woman; Douglas Campbell - Party Pro; Dan Lewk - Steve; Robert Parr - Robert; Carly Simon; John Wesley - Eddie; Julie Fulton - Martha; Murphy Cross - Dita; Paul Barresi - Sports Connection Member; Stacy Bayne - Billy; Tracy Bayne - Bobby; Alma Beltran - Grieving Woman; Leslie Borkin - Sports Connection Member; Kevin Boyle - Himself; Susan Burritt - Art Department Girl; Brent Carlton - Sports Connection Member; Kim Connell - Sally's Friend; Marlene Cramer - Court Reporter; Daniel Dayan - Maitre d'; Anson Downes - Sub-Editor; Ramey Ellis - City News Receptionist; Eileen Finney - Sports Connection Member; Bob Henry - Jury Foreman; Beth Herzhaft - Researcher; Rosalind Ingledew - Sterling; Kim Isaacson - Linda's Friend; John Michael Kelly - Guy at Desk; Christian Letelier - Sports Connection Member; Jean Lubin - Stewardess; Brian Maguire - TV Reporter; Mario Marin - Waiter; Kai Maxwell - Kai Maxwell; Roger Menache - Matt; Gina Morelli - Grieving Woman; Lee Nicholl - Jeff; Nanette Pattee-Francini - Nanette; Donna Perkins - Sports Connection Member; Elaine Perkins - TV Reporter; Dan Peterson - Roger's Friend; Annick Romain - French Operator; Robin Samuel - Robin; Bruce Savin - Front Desk; Jill Schachne - Sports Connection Member; Wendy Shawn - Party-Goer; Steven Solberg - Assistant Art Director; Renee Tetro - Staff Member; Jim Vanko - FBI Agent; Clarke Wilson - Chippendale's M.C.; Howard Feuer; Joan Edwards - Melody's Friend
Credit
Lynda Paradise - Art Director, Joan Edwards - Associate Producer, Natalie Brown - Choreography, Jerry Jackson - Choreography, Jack Larson - Co-producer, Michael Kaplan - Costume Designer, James Bridges - Director, Jeff Gourson - Editor, Kim Kurumada - Executive Producer, Ralph Burns - Composer (Music Score), Becky Mancuso - Musical Direction/Supervision, Del Acevedo - Makeup, Brad Wilder - Makeup, Michael Haller - Production Designer, Gordon Willis - Cinematographer, James Bridges - Producer, Thomas Roysden - Set Designer, Stan Parks - Special Effects, David Ronne - Sound/Sound Designer, Debby Porter - Stunts, James Bridges - Screenwriter, Aaron Latham - Screenwriter, Aaron Latham - Book Author
Perfect is a 1985 American feature film, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and John Travolta. The film was based on a series of articles that appeared in Rolling Stone magazine in the late 1970s, chronicling the popularity of Los Angeles health clubs amongst single people.
The film is about a New York reporter Adam Lawrence (John Travolta), sent to Los Angeles to write article about a businessman arrested for a drug dealing. During his staying at L.A. Adam is also collecting material for his story about "Fitness clubs as singles bars of the 80s".
He visits popular singles meeting club "The Sport Connection" where he meets instructor Jessie (Jamie Lee Curtis) and asks her for an interview for his article, but because of her bad experience with the press she's reluctant to agree. Soon thereafter, however, they strike up a romance which leads Adam to a moral dilemma: as a reporter he has lost his objective point of view. Adam is joining fitness trainings at Sports Connection and meets its members Linda, Sally and others. He soon learns that the notion that fitness clubs are spots where singles are meeting is, in fact, true.
Jessie is still anxious about an interview, and finally she doesn't agree to it. Adam is forced to do interviews with other members of the club, in an effort to show Jessie that not all of journalists are only out for the cheap sensation. He writes an in-depth analysis of the Fitness Clubs as a singles meeting scene, which, however, is deemed unacceptable by his boss, Rolling Stone head editor Jann Wenner (himself). The boss decides to edit Adam's article and give the material to his colleague Frankie, who is a photographer. She finds Jessie's previous appearance in the newspaper (because of which she lost her trust in reporters). Frankie however uses this as she finds this a great front-page-story. Because of his disagreements with the magazine's angle on the story, Adam is sent abroad, where learns about the article and the changes made in it. This has devastating impact on Jessie, her relations with Adam, as well as on the club members.
Adam comes back to the L.A, to explain Jessie the whole situation, though he's not able to prove his feeling to her until the businessman's trial (not the drug related one) in which he's supposed to testify. As a reporter, because of the First Amendment he decides not to agree for a Judge order to give a tapes with businessman's interview and is jailed. This proofs Jessie that Adam is a trustful person with the morality, and that he couldn't write this article.
Jamie Lee Curtis was training before the film shooting began, and troughout the filming, eating only one meal a day.[vague]
Filming locations
"Sports Connection" fitness centre scenes were filmed in "Sports Club LA" (a giant athletic facility in West L.A), known for a place where the single persons were meeting.
