The first thing I thought walking out of Project X was to wonder how long it will be before someone, somewhere imitates what is seen here. Perhaps it’s probably already been done and it just didn’t escalate into the picture of all out mayhem this film becomes. Either way, I have a hard time believing a couple of parents aren’t going to come home one day to find their house (and, potentially, neighborhood) destroyed, the Mercedes in the pool and their children brought up on charges all in an attempt to duplicate what goes on here. Outside of that, while watching Project X the only other thing I could think was… That looks like fun!
The idea here is that in order to gain high school popularity you need to throw the biggest and baddest party the world has ever seen. As a result your name will be chanted as you stand on the rooftop and once your parents’ house and neighborhood have been torched you may have to do a little jail time, but it’s all about changing the game. Yeah, it’s not exactly the rise to the top most responsible adults would recommend.
Looking for that game changer is Costa (Oliver Cooper) as he prepares what will hopefully be the largest party Pasadena has ever seen. The reason? It’s his friend Thomas Kub’s (Thomas Mann) birthday and along with their friend J.B. (Jonathan Daniel Brown) they have been nobodies at school for too long. It’s time for some recognition.
Email blasts go out, text messages are sent to the entire senior class and there may have even been a posting on Craigslist. In short, everyone has been invited and, even more to the point, everyone shows up… and then some.
Drugs, drinking, sex, violence, flying canines, people stuffed in ovens and a flamethrower turn the neighborhood into a war zone as the two 12-year-olds hired as security guards can’t contain the carnage. The neighbors complain and the cops show up, but the madness won’t be fenced in.
Directed by music video helmer Nima Nourizadeh and written by Matt Drake and Michael Bacall (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) the film plays like a version of what an ex-frat boy may dream up as what would make the ultimate party if he were to look back at his days on Greek Row. None of it is legal, it’s filled with debauchery and I’m surprised a campaign against it hasn’t already been started, but as a one time watch it’s rather entertaining.
This is the ultimate celebration of bad behavior and goes against everything we’ve learned about what it means, and what we should do if we want, to be cool. Parents will hate this film. People that look at movies as influencing bad behavior will really hate this film. For both of those reasons, teens and college-age kids will likely love this film.
While I may not support or endorse what happens in Project X I had a good time watching it… once.
