Movie Review – Project X (2012)
Every so often Hollywood goes back to the classic theme of high schoolers and college students wanting to party, drink, and of course, have sex.
While that theme has been fully saturated in Hollywood, it can still be entertaining when used correctly. Or in the event of 2012′s epic party movie Project X, something so over-the-top that it tries to blow you away. That is, as long as the movie does it correctly.
So what is Project X?
2012′s Project X (not to be confused with the 1987 movie of the same name starring Matthew Broderick and Helen Hunt) is one of those “found footage,” documentary-style movies where we’re seeing the events taking place mainly through a friend who documents the preparation and party itself. This style of format was also used in Chronicle (2012) and Cloverfield (2008).
One of the first things you’ll notice about Project X is that there are not any big name stars in the movie. In fact, the vast majority of the actors and actresses have little to no acting experience on camera. This was intentional to help make the story itself more believable. The downside is that it’s quite obvious that these people are pretty much nobodies in the industry.
Project X (2012) – (c) Warner Bros.
Project X begins with three friends (Thomas, Costa, and J. B.) planning on throwing a birthday party for Thomas’s 17th birthday. The fourth friend, Dax, is the chief person filming the events for the next 24 hours. While Dax’s story is mysterious and somewhat disturbing, we rarely see him on camera. We quickly find out that the birthday party is just an excuse to try to get laid. The only issue is trying to invite enough people to the party to make it possible.
Project X (2012) – (c) Warner Bros.
Thomas’s house will be free for him and his friends as his parents are heading out of town for their anniversary. Before leaving, his parents present Tomas with his birthday gift — the keys to his mom’s Dodge minivan. Whoopie! Thomas’s dad knows that his son will have a party, but he restricts him to having only a couple of friends there, no more than four of five. Of course, Thomas agrees to everything his dad says.
Project X (2012) – (c) Warner Bros.
The guys head to school and discuss plans for Thomas’s birthday party. Costa keeps insisting to invite more and more people to help make it as cool as possible, while Thomas tries to downplay it, as it’ll be his parent’s house and it’s his ultimate responsibility to *not* trash the place. Costa wins the argument and he goes off inviting everybody he can find to the party. He spreads the word through the Internet and social media websites, and later we learn that even a local radio station advertised for the party. We see that Thomas isn’t a complete wimp as he succeeds in inviting Alexis, “the hottest girl in school,” to his party.
Project X (2012) – (c) Warner Bros.
After school the guys head out to get supplies. They make fools of themselves at a grocery store and then let Costa direct them to a not-so-reputable part of town to score some weed. Drug dealer T-Rick is a bit crazy himself, and he goes completely ballistic when the guys steal his prized garden gnome to be used as the mascot for their party. T-Rick chases them and damages their minivan before they can escape.
Project X (2012) – (c) Warner Bros.
The guys eventually get back to Thomas’s house and begin setting up for their party. Everett and Tyler, two young security guards, are already on scene guarding the house. Despite their youth they try to act all big and bad, which itself is quite comical.
Project X (2012) – (c) Warner Bros.
The starting time for the party comes and goes, and soon the guys are worried that nobody will show up. Just when they’re getting concerned, their fellow classmates and friends show up fashionably late, just as teenagers normally do. They arrive in droves, bring lots of beer, and the party officially gets started.
Project X (2012) – (c) Warner Bros.
The partygoers get a bit loud and rambunctious, but things stay mostly in control for a little while. That is, despite a few hundred more people than expected arriving for Thomas’s birthday party. They try to restrict the guests to the backyard and patio area, leaving the two security guards to stop them from entering the house, but eventually that fails. One of the neighbors arrives to complain about the noise. When he threatens to call the cops, the security guards attack him with a taser. He strikes back and punches one of the kids. The neighbor is then blackmailed into not calling the cops as he’d go to jail for striking a child. So the massive party continues.
Project X (2012) – (c) Warner Bros.
The party continues to grow in size. A DJ keeps the music rocking while guests dance and play drinking games. Project X gets some kudos for including a brief scene of my favorite drinking game, beer pong. Meanwhile, the party keeps growing and growing.
Project X (2012) – (c) Warner Bros.
The police eventually do show up at the party. The guys get advance warning of the cops and heard everybody into the backyard. The music stops and everybody stays quiet while Costa and Thomas convince the police that yes, there is a party, and no, the police do not have permission to search the property. Since everything seemed to be quiet and under control, the police leave the house with a stern warning about not wanting to return there again.
Project X (2012) – (c) Warner Bros.
Once the cops leave, the party resumes with more fury than before. The garden gnome is smashed only to reveal that it was filled with ecstasy. The people grab the drugs and even Thomas finds himself taking the drug and feeling its effects. At one point Thomas, Costa and J. B. climb onto the roof and see just how massive their party has become. As a news helicopter circles overhead, the guys realize that they’ve crossed the line from being a hero to a legend.
Project X (2012) – (c) Warner Bros.
The police arrive in force to try to end the party, but the people fight back. The police chief explains to a reporter that they’re going to have to wait it out and let the party die on its own. People at the party celebrate and continue with their wild antics from driving Thomas’s dad’s prized car into the swimming pool to trashing the house. Eventually the crazy drug dealer, T-Rick, arrives with a flame thrower, demanding the return of his garden gnome. He sets everything on fire and the police are forced to take action and crush the party.
In a climatic battle set to Metallica’s hit song “Battery,” the police use flash bangs and riot gear to finally end the party. The movie ends with Thomas being hailed as a hero when he returns to school.
So is Project X any good?
This is really going to depend on your gender and age group. It’s clear that Project X is going to be the biggest hit with males in high school and college. The drinking, vulgarity and abundance of female nudity is heavily skewered towards that type of an audience.
As a movie, Project X is okay at best. This is just another telling of the classic story of high school students wanting to party and have sex. There’s nothing new there. What gives Project X a slightly unique angle is that the three guys throw a party of an epic scale, especially when all hell breaks loose at the end.
Project X reminded me of a classic Married . . . With Children episode where Al Bundy and the NO MA’AM gang head to Washington, D.C., to protest the removal of the show Psycho Dad from the network. Peggy and Marcy follow, leaving Bud and Kelly alone in the house to have their party. We don’t see the party that they host, but we hear news reports about it while Al and friends are in Washington, D.C. The party was so large that not even the National Guard could break it.
Don’t have high expectations when watching Project X. Gather your friends, drink some beer, and enjoy the movie. Yes, there are a few plot holes. The acting is also painfully bad in some spots. But the movie itself isn’t that bad (it’s nowhere near as good as The Hangover (2009)), and in its 88 minutes of running time, it’ll be finished before you know it.
Keep in mind that Project X is a movie that celebrates bad behavior common around many of today’s teenagers and young adults. They lie, they steal, they drink, they swear, they do drugs, they have sex, and apparently none of them care about the consequences of their actions. It’s all about being cool to impress their colleagues.
Project X (2012) – movie trailer
For those of you wondering, yes, you do get to see Alexis topless.
Thomas – “Yeah, I’m letting Costa plan most of it.”
Kirby – “Oh, that sounds like a really brilliant idea.”