A stunning John Travolta, a scantily clad Jamie Lee Curtis dancing in an aerobics class, an 80s film with a $20 million budget — what could possibly go wrong?
Here’s the story of the film that had all the makings of perfection but ultimately fell short for a number of surprising reasons.
When John Travolta and Jamie Lee Curtis were announced as the stars of Perfect in 1985, few could have predicted the film would flop. Both were at the peak of their careers, beloved by audiences and highly sought after in Hollywood.
With director James Bridges at the helm and Columbia Pictures sinking a hefty $20 million into the project, it seemed like a guaranteed hit. But fast forward to the film’s release, and it became one of the biggest disappointments in Hollywood history. It only grossed $12.9 million worldwide. Perfect was also nominated for three Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Actor (Travolta), Worst Supporting Actress (Marilu Henner), and Worst Screenplay —ouch! Not to mention its nod for Worst Picture at the Stinkers Bad Movie Awards.
For those who might have forgotten, Perfect tells the story of journalist Adam Lawrence, who’s assigned to interview a successful entrepreneur suspected of dealing drugs. But it’s his second assignment — an exposé on fitness clubs — that leads him to Jessie Wilson (Jamie Lee Curtis), an aerobics instructor who’s got no love for journalists.
So, what went wrong? Let’s dive into the mistakes and fun facts that made this film a perfect disaster.
Way-too-revealing gym shorts
Some critics called Perfect one of the most unintentionally campy films of the 1980s, packed with bizarre choices that made it both ridiculous and strangely fascinating. From John Travolta’s way-too-revealing gym shorts to the endless shots of aerobics classes that felt like softcore fitness porn, the film exuded a strange energy that critics couldn’t ignore.
One famous aerobics scene — packed with more pelvic thrusts than anyone thought possible — likely earned the movie its R rating. This was not well received by Jamie Lee Curtis, but we’ll get into that later in the article.
All the gym sequences, featuring gratuitous close-ups of crotches and glistening bodies, only added to what some described as the movie’s “weird gay vibe”—complete with a soundtrack featuring Whitney Houston, Jermaine Jackson, Berlin, and Wham.
