For many college-age people, there exists an innate, irrepressible desire to participate in raucous merrymaking and debauchery. Individuals come together in droves to mingle, boogie and gorge themselves on copious amounts of alcohol, attempting to wash away the weighing quandaries of the concrete world if only for a few hours. But what happens when the masses become hordes that would have instilled fear into the great Greek armies of antiquity and the substances run the gamut from cheap beer to ecstasy?
"Project X" (2012) follows three socially awkward high school students as they attempt to get popular by throwing a large party. What begins innocently ends with a bacchanal so ludicrously destructive that viewers begin to wonder if Roland Emmerich (of "Day After Tomorrow" (2004) and "2012" (2009) infamy) produced the film. In fact, the producer is actually Todd Phillips, which explains the film's boorish characters and their pathological need for sex.
Phillips has proved his mastery of the stereotypical "party film" with endeavors like "Old School" (2003) and "The Hangover" (2009). Yet, after displaying the ultimate frat party and the pinnacle of bachelor parties, he has finally dipped his hand into a party manifesto for the teenage audience.
The host of said party is the shy but misunderstood Thomas, played with wide-eyed naturalism by Thomas Mann, but Costa (Oliver Cooper), Thomas' best friend, is the true ringleader, as he pressures Thomas with his acid-laced tongue and his bold assurances of female nudity. With Mephistophelean powers of persuasion, Costa is D.A.R.E.'s worst nightmare. Rounding out the trio of companions is J.B. (Jonathan Daniel Brown), a heavyset, bug-eyed predator intent on getting his fill of women before the night's end.
Some of the biggest laughs come before the party itself even starts. The banter between the three friends is crude and organic. Not to mention, one scene involving the acquisition of marijuana from a stoned John Malkovich lookalike is the first major step toward disaster, and the handheld filming enhances the sense of adventure.
The film's "found footage" technique has already been done to death in films such as "Paranormal Activity" (2007) and "Cloverfield" (2008), yet "Project X" breaks from the cinematographic limitations of a mockumentary. For example, the film is crisply shot in high-definition (except for the occasional simulated cell phone camera footage), and techniques such as slow motion can be found throughout. Director Nima Nourizadeh does not let his cinema verite framing restrict his making of the film.
The film moves along at a relatively quick pace until the festivities actually begin. At this point, the film runs out of all narrative steam and bides time by showing countless montages of destruction and mayhem. A small dog floating skyward on a balloon-propelled harness, a bevy of exposed girls on a bouncy castle and a fuel-efficient sedan careening into a pool are only a few of the fleeting images seen, all set to thumping dub-step remixes.
These moments, while admittedly fun to watch, add little to the story and grow stale over time. Kids get drunker, music gets louder, girls get barer, but that's about it.
Another shortcoming lies in the film's attempt to add a realistic love story spin. Rather than developing a relationship between Thomas and his interest, Kirby (Kirby Bliss Blanton), the film dubs them "old friends" and implies their sexual affinity.
The movie should have simply embraced its ludicrous charm and eschewed the classic Hollywood ending.
Despite its overly crude humor and lack of depth, "Project X" is a fitting tale for a generation that has grown increasingly nostalgic. The film evokes those lasting images of the high school parties you will never forget — and the parties you will never remember.
