Movie Review: The Party (2018)

The Party (2018)

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Starring: Timothy Spall

Opening Thoughts:

Being in the United States, I didn’t hear much about this film until January 2018 when I saw the trailer. However, I found it intriguing. It didn’t look terrible and could even be a good bit of fun. Sadly, while not atrocious, I was disappointed in the overall outcome.

Plot:

A group of friends and or associates come together for a dinner party to celebrate () becoming prime minister. Her husband has important news that simply can not wait another moment. Sheer madness ensues.

What I Liked:

I think the acting in the film is very good despite working with an average at best script. The cast is wonderful.

I found it a clever idea to make the film black and white while it is anything but in most cases.

This film discusses social and political matters which are being discussed in the United Kingdom currently. I think the film could have come to it with a better, more ground approach, but having the discussion is still important.

Dislikes:

In a film solely about the characters, you may want to make them believable. They felt like cartoon versions of people. They have one state of being. Everyone had a single emotion that they carried throughout the film. Everyone acted ridiculous and cruel. The reasons for the animosity are founded in the history of pettiness rarely revealed to us.

The film lacks growth and understanding. We reach a point midway through and it gets stuck there. It’s random, messy, and worst of all forgettable.

British comedies have a history of being dry, but this really pushes that bar. It sounds clever but tries too hard to be something it isn’t. Funny.

The pace is at a constant crawl. I would have liked to see a rise in tension as the movie develops. The plot unravels and we are left with more questions than answers. I suppose that could be the goal of the filmmaker, but I felt they were trying to make a point about society, politics, and religion. Just wish I knew what the hell they were thinking.

This movie isn’t clean, so many loose ends. There is a lot of needless information, even a character that doesn’t belong.

 

Conclusion:

While The Party does feature a talented cast and discusses some important issues. There is a very messy narrative, and it not nearly as funny or compelling as it wants to be. A very average film that you can endure, but it won’t leave you with anything much to take away from it.