Perfect: The real truth about the iconic aerobics scenes

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?

Well, quite a lot, as it turns out.

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.

Variety didn’t hold back in its review, delivering one of the harshest verdicts on Perfect:

“On any level, ‘Perfect’ is an embarrassment and unlikely to satisfy any audience.”

How Jamie Lee Curtis lost 10 pounds of muscle

Today, if people remember Perfect for anything, it’s Jamie Lee Curtis as the ultimate aerobics instructor. Playing Jessie Wilson, the confident and charismatic workout guru, she became an instant sex symbol, captivating audiences with her athleticism and energy

Jamie Lee Curtis was excited to be part of the movie, revealing, ”I’m an athletic person, a minor sort of closet jock. Whenever I would take an exercise class, I would imagine myself giving one. But while I was certainly intrigued by the story, I was mostly excited about working with these people.”

She trained for months before shooting began and all the aerobics scenes were filmed first, followed by the dramatic parts. By the time they filmed the final workout scene during the credits, Curtis, who only ate one meal a day, had actually lost 10 pounds of muscle.

Oh, and she even filmed a music video with Jermaine Jackson to promote the movie. Talk about dedication!

John Travolta doesn’t regret doing it

John Travolta was huge in the mid-1980s—at least, he had been just a few years earlier. By the late ’70s, he was one of the biggest movie stars in the world, thanks to Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Grease (1978). He was a pop culture icon, a heartthrob, and a box office powerhouse.

However, by the time Perfect (1985) rolled around, his career had started to cool off. Despite being a box-office failure that temporarily slowed down John Travolta’s career, he has no regrets about taking part in Perfect.

For him, the chance to work with director James Bridges again and the friendships he formed with the cast were the highlights.

On the flip side, critics weren’t so kind, with some even remarking, ”Honestly, the whole movie feels like just a bunch of scenes of Jamie Lee Curtis and John Travolta working out.”

Following Perfect, John Travolta took an unexpected break from the big screen, not returning until 1989 with The Experts and Look Who’s Talking. It would be four years before audiences saw him in another film, marking one of the longest gaps in his acting career.