Movie Review: 'Project X' a questionable teen party movie gone mad
The teen-comedy "Project X," currently at the Fandango Galaxy cineplex in Carson City, is clearly aimed at high school teens, despite its R rating. It's a wild party scene that is the ultimate teen aspiration, including plenty of drugs, booze, nudity and destruction.
Warning, if you suffer from motion sickness you may have problems with this movie. The wild, slashing camera pan shots may leave you with a queasy stomach. Reason for the wild photography is the constant use of a Steadi-Cam, which allows a single photographer to shoot a scene without the usual setups and expense. Makes for lousy viewing. In theory most of the film was taken by a student with a video camera.
The three lead characters, Thomas Mann as Thomas, Oliver Cooper Costa and Jonathan Daniel Brown as J.B., plan an elaborate birthday party for Thomas, who will be 17. While not big men at their Pasadena high school, they manage to invite lots of students.
The party turns into a smash, including a scene where a Santa doll is smashed revealing hundreds of Ecstasy pills for one and all. A dwarf manages to get stuck in an oven and two kid security types can't keep the party out of Thomas' house (his folks are off for a weekend).
All sorts of action: teens topless in the pool, kids landing in the pool after riding cables down to the edge, Thomas almost making out with a stunning girl, a bit long of tooth to be a teen, Thomas' real girlfriend breaking in on the two (but not until she is topless) and stalking off. And the little guy drives Thomas' father's Mercedes into the swimming pool.
Meanwhile, the drug dealer, from whom the three stole the Santa doll with the drugs, appears in a fireproof suit with a flamethrower, with which he starts fires, including one in Thomas house, destroying it as well as neighbors' homes.
Thomas parents return to their devastated home and the father lectures Thomas but congratulates him; he didn't think the kid "had it in him for such a party."
What is one to make of this movie? Is it a message for wild teen parties with drugs, booze and free sex. Thomas gets his girl back, the other two aren't really punished. Muh property is destroyed, cops and SWAT teams are summoned, fire trucks are called, riot squads appear. One cop even congratulates Thomas on his party.
Cast
• Thomas Mann as Thomas.
Mann had prior acting experience in the feature film It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010), and was told he could not audition for Project X because the producers wished to cast only people without acting credits. Mann ultimately had to audition seven times before he was given the role.
• Oliver Cooper as Costa.
• Jonathan Daniel Brown as J.B.
The film is the feature film debut of Brown, who was cast as part of a nationwide open casting call.
• Kirby Bliss Blanton as Kirby
• Alexis Knapp as Alexis.
A popular high school girl. Knapp's character required nudity, something with which she was initially uncomfortable, stating "I just had a lot of moral issues with it but I got over it and I heard that it’s not that revealing. So I’m relieved." Knapp described her character as a tomboy, and was given the opportunity to add to the role beyond the requirements of the script to move the character away from the usual "hot chick" archetype.
• Nichole Bloom as J.B.'s girl
• Dax Flame as Dax, the cameraman.
• Miles Teller as Miles
• Martin Klebba as Guest
• Rick Shapiro as T-Rick
• Caitlin Dulany as Mom
• Peter Mackenzie as Dad
Directed by Nima Nourizadeh
Produced by Todd Phillips
Screenplay by Matt Drake
Michael Bacall
Story by Michael Bacall
Cinematography Ken Seng
Editing by Jeff Groth
Running time 88 minutes
- Carson City
- Acting
- Arts and Entertainment
- audition
- Birthday
- birthday party
- Bloom
- camera
- carson
- City
- cops
- Daniel
- drug
- Experience
- Film
- fire
- Fires
- Free
- home
- homes
- kids
- Kids!
- Lectures
- May
- men
- michael
- Movie
- movie review
- Opportunity
- parents
- parties
- party
- photography
- Prior
- Riding
- running
- santa
- school
- sex
- sickness
- students
- teen
- Teen Party
- Teens
- trucks
- video
- Weekend
- drugs
- high school