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• Currently 1/5 Stars.

Movies.ie Critic Review

PROJECT X (USA/18/87mins)

Directed by Nima Nourizadeh. Starring Thomas Mann, Oliver Cooper, Jonathan Daniel Brown, Dax Flame, Kirby Bliss Blanton, Brady Hender, Alexis Knapp, Caitlin Dulany, Martin Klebba, Pete Gardner.

THE PLOT: With teetotaler goth Dax (Flame) behind the camera, self-confessed geek Thomas (Mann) and his two equally unpopular friends – budding Springfellow entrepreneur Costa (Cooper) and chubby JB (Brown) – are planning a party. Where this Supersad trio plan to “get high, fuck bitches”. God bless Dax, he’s certainly nimble with that camera, getting up close for every text, and then instantly 20 feet away for another master shot. Surely he’s prepping a little Columbine revenge here? But sadly, no, he’s our cameraman for a wild, wild house party that turns ugly. Pretty much right from the start, as we’re bombarded with American teens strutting their Jersey Shore stuff to a thumping techno and hip-hop soundtrack. And the very occasional shot of drama. Like a Kei$ha video that just won’t stop.

THE VERDICT: Hey, it’s Michael Bay’s Old School! It’s Cloverfield, where the monster is a bunch of MTV-infested teens. This is a film where all the guys – bar the three geek leads (who represent you, by the way) – are jocks and/or stoners, and the girls all look like contestants on America’s Next Top Skank. And it’s only the girls with plenty of dialogue who get to keep their tops on for more than five minutes.

There’s just one truly funny moment in Project X. It’s when a very angry little person (Klebba) escapes from an oven and proceeds to punch everyone he meets straight in the crotch, leaving a trail of groaning bodies in his wake. The found footage trick is wearing thin too, as proven by the recent overpraised, undernourished Chronicles. Inspired by defiant Melbourne party animal Corey Delaney (his famous 2008 TV interview spoofed here in the closing credits), this Todd Phillips-produced comedy basically takes a 2-minute party montage from Old School and stretches it out to an 87-min montage. RATING: 1/5

Review by Paul Byrne 

• Avg User rating
• Currently 2/5 Stars.

User Reviews

• • Currently 1/5 Stars.

  Marty hanratty

  

  The most upsetting movie I've ever seen. It takes "you had to be there" to a whole new level. There is nothing fun about watching people you don't know have fun, and this movie is simply 88 minutes of that. This movie also contains the most un-likable protagonists in recent memory. Thomas is a complete coward who is pushed around by his disgusting, obnoxious, loser "friend" Costa. They both hang out with J.B. who is only there so Costa can constantly insult him about his weight and are followed around by Dax,, who records the party on his camera. The entire dialogue consists mostly of Costa talking about how "epic" the party is and how popular it will make them. Every "joke" is signaled by Costa yelling "What the **** is that!?!" or "What the **** are you doing?!" It's almost as if they asked a 14 year old to write what they think a party is like. A little person punching kids in the groin is about as sophisticated as the humor in this movie gets. To me, the most insulting part was how they completely villainize anyone who wants to shut down their party. Absolute garbage.

• • Currently 2/5 Stars.

  Onionhead

  

  "Project X" bears a cravenly piggish attitude toward rewarding socially unacceptable behavior that feels unseemly rather than exciting, so-what rather than so-funny and obvious instead of new.

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  Hadouken65

  

  Would have given it 4 stars but that best friend was such a douche bag! Whoever wrote his character needs to reign it in for the sequel.

• • Currently 2/5 Stars.

  TheAngelicDiablo

  

  Despite trying to encapsulate all the comedy, drama and uniqueness off The Hangover, Superbad and Paranormal Activity, Project X ultimately falls short of becoming anything incoherent and weirdly turns into what could easily be viewed as a hyper extended advertisement for mini skirts and women's underwear.

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  thegift06

  

  From the makers of the hangover but does not live up to expectations. Very predictable, the movie moved very slow. Overall I enjoyed the film but it wasnt a very memorable film

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  filmbuff2011

  

  Project X is a million miles away from the 1987 Matthew Broderick film of the same name. Whereas that was a thought-provoking film about military experiments on apes, this film is about a social experiment in hosting the ultimate, "game-changing" party in an otherwise quiet California suburb. The gimmick here is that it's sourced from found footage, which seems a natural fit for the story of a seemingly normal "loser" teenager who defies his parents' expectations and that of his peers in hosting a birthday party. It quickly snowballs out of control, building to excessive, apocalyptic proportions... It's no surprise to see The Hangover director Todd Phillips onboard as a producer, as his sticky fingerprints are clearly all over this film. For the most part, it's entertaining, funny and well-acted by its enthusiastic cast. There's no need to bring the little gray cells, as Hercule Poirot might say. Switch off, sit back and watch the kind of party you wish you could cross over into the movie world for.

• • Currently 5/5 Stars.

  bigslick184

  

  Saw this recently at a screening. From the opening scene I was laughing non-stop. My throat was literally sore with laughter (still hurts). A great party/teen film which has all the makings of a cult classic. As my friend said "better than the hangover 1", high praise indeed.

• • Currently 2/5 Stars.

  mart

  

  Sad movie about military medical experiment on monkeys. Stars a young Matthew Broderick and Helen Hunt who try to rescue the animals.