"Saturday Night Fever" - More Than Just Shiny Pants, Man

Okay, so I finally re-watched "Saturday Night Fever" the other night. Hadn't seen it since, well, probably since I was actually at a disco back in the late 70s. And you know what? It’s way deeper than I remembered. As a kid, all I saw was the dancing, the Bee Gees, and John Travolta being, well, John Travolta. But man, Tony Manero is messed up. He's got this dead-end job, a family who doesn't get him, and all he's got is Saturday night to feel like somebody. It's basically a Gen X prequel! My theory is that "Saturday Night Fever" is like a gritty, urban take on what "Rebel Without a Cause" was trying to say a generation earlier. James Dean had the angst of the suburbs, Tony has the brutal reality of Brooklyn. He's trapped, just like Jim Stark was, but Tony's got even fewer options. He's looking for a way out, and Stephanie Mangano represents that, right? She's got a plan to escape to Manhattan, to "make something of herself." It's all about that yearning for something better, something more. But here's where it gets interesting: that ending. It’s bleak! He bails on the dance contest, throws his trophy away. Then that whole thing with the near-rape... it’s heavy stuff. I think the movie is ultimately saying that escape isn’t easy, and that changing your life takes more than just a killer dance move. It takes real work and a serious commitment… and maybe getting out of Brooklyn! So, yeah, shiny pants and disco balls, sure. But "Saturday Night Fever" is a pretty dark film that still kinda resonates today, even if I now have back problems just thinking about those dance moves. What do you guys think? Am I reading too much into it or does this sound about right?