Project X

# A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

82 AskMen Rating

The Basics

Official Site: ProjectXMovie.WarnerBros.com
Release Date: March 2, 2012
Director: Nima Nourizadeh
Main Actors: Thomas Mann, Oliver Cooper, Jonathan Daniel Brown, and Kirby Bliss Blanton

67 The AskMen Take

Seemingly inspired by the true story of Corey Delaney, an Australian teen whose out-of-control house party became international news (and not the 1987 movie of the same name starring Matthew Broderick and a troop of trained chimps), Project X aims to be every parent’s worst nightmare and every teenager’s dream.

Produced by Todd Phillips, the movie plays out like Superbad meets Cloverfield, as four high school nobodies document their attempts to throw a legendary party in order to make a name for themselves (and maybe even get laid). But when 50 people turns into a few thousand, all hell breaks loose: tops come off, household pets are endangered and neighbors get Tasered.

And that’s about it when it comes to plot, as Project X is essentially one long party montage. And despite its you’ve-got-to-see-it-to-believe-it vibe, all the sustained mayhem can’t completely cover an otherwise one-note story.

51 Critical Appeal

Todd Phillips may have only produced Project X, with commercial director Nima Nourizadeh officially presiding over the increasingly chaotic proceedings, but the current king of hard R has his fingerprints are all over this found-footage teen comedy. And while Phillips’ area of expertise may be man-children, he mixes things up a bit here by going with actual children behaving badly, though the depths of the debauchery remains about the same.

Project X’s young cast is made up almost entirely of relative newcomers, found through a nationwide talent search, much in the same way Superbad found its breakout star. There are no McLovins here, though; the teens feel realistic enough to sell the high school humor, but none really stand out. That’s because despite a shoehorned romance angle, there’s not much in the way of characterization. There’s the annoying loudmouth, the fat one, a meek protagonist, and our mostly mute Goth cameraman.

All the familiar teen characters are here, right down to the girl next door -- they’re archetypes if you’re feeling charitable, and stereotypes if you’re not. (Only the hilarious pint-sized security guards buck that trend.) But, really, Project X’s party should be the movie’s jumping off point, not its entire reason for being. And if only the movie’s main characters were given as much of an arc as its party was, Project X could’ve truly been epic.

82 Guy Appeal

With its nonstop onslaught of T, A and underage drinking, Project X had to have the MPAA working overtime. Officially, the raunchy teen comedy is rated R for “crude and sexual content throughout, nudity, drugs, drinking, pervasive language, reckless behavior, and mayhem -- all involving teens.” And while that might be intended as a warning for parents, it also makes for a pretty strong sales pitch for guys. Where The Hangover and Old School were wish fulfillment for young and middle-aged guys, Nourizadeh’s feature debut offers much the same draw, even if it caters more to teens.

Project X promises a wild party, and it certainly delivers, taking us along for the ride. Only problem is, all that relentless chaos gets kind of, well, boring after a while. Even at a short 88 minutes, the continued montages of dancing and drinking teens get dangerously repetitive.

But shock and surprise is the key to both Phillips’ brand of humor and Project X, and while you’ll probably be glad you went to this party, the effect can wear off fast.