Director: Nima Nourizadeh
Screenplay: Matt Drake & Michael Bacall
Producers: Scott Budnick, Marty P Ewing, Alex Heineman, Steve Richards, Andrew Rona & Joel Silver
Starring: Thomas Mann, Oliver Cooper & Jonathan Daniel Brown
Year: 2012
Country: USA
Duration: 88 mins
Project Xās poster has the tag āThe party youāve only dreamed aboutā but, unfortunately, this is a film you wish youād only dreamed about. Basically itās about the party that Costa (Oliver Cooper) organises for his high school friend Thomas (Thomas Mann) ā and they want it to be a party that launches them onto the social scene ā oh, and get them laid as well.
Ever heard something like that before? Yeah, me too. American studios have been churning this storyline out for decades and they have nothing new to offer here. Others have done it bigger and better.
Itās a series of gratuitous party scenes of teens in various stages of undress and drinking from kegs or shot glasses. The only vague storyline is that of a drug dealer who wants redress for Costa and Thomas stealing his gnome figurine ā which turns out to be stuffed full of ecstasy tabs ā and comes looking for it, carrying a flame-thrower as his very convincing argument. Not only is Thomasās parentsā house trashed (and burned) his fatherās Merc is driven into the pool and the whole street turns into a riot-like state.
Costa is so annoying (possibly the most annoying screen character since Jar Jar Binks) I was actually praying that he be shot/burned/abducted by aliens ā anything just to get rid of him ā but sadly he stays on screen ātil the very end.
Thomas is a hero to his peers but he has no real remorse over the damage heās caused. Ā In fact he and Costa ā on their return to school, and the admiring calls from their peers ā they end with a cheesy grin. So basically the message here is: itās OK to trash your parentsā house (costing tens of thousands worth of damage); to turn your street into a riot zone; and to force the police and fire department into spending time and resources sorting out your adolescent cr*p, just as long as your high school āfriendsā know your name.
They donāt even suffer any criminal repercussions. They effectively get away scott-free.
This film has no redeeming features ā no I tell a lie; the cinematography was pretty good.
Project X is now available on DVD and Blu Ray.
Review by Andy Goodman
Am I right in thinking this was shot ‘found footage’ style? That idea interested me and it makes sense for this kind of story, but I guess that was the only original idea they had. Shame. I’ve got a soft spot for teenage comedies when they’re done well (e.g. Ferris Bueller).
The cinematography was the best thing about the film – it was done in the fashion of other high school ‘friends’ documenting the organising and running of the party. Some footage was clearly ‘cameraman’ style but because the tone had been set early it didn’t seem out of place.
This is no Ferris Bueller …
No I gathered that from your review š