PROJECT X (2012) – The Review

PROJECT X is not an off-shoot of the TV talent competition or a remake of the Matthew Broderick chimp thriller, but the latest in what seems to be an endless entry in the found footage / hand-held video genre, a film subset ( or conceit ) that is quickly wearing out its welcome at the multiplex. I suppose it really exploded with the box office smash over ten years ago with THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and continues today with the horror series PARANORMAL ACTIVITY. Just weeks ago the format was used in the super-powered fantasy CHRONICLE. Now the shakey-cam is utilized for this new ” party ” comedy ( not the first found comedy – THE VIRGINITY HIT was a 2010 dud ). Will X fire up lots of big screen yucks or go down like warm stale beer?

The plot ( to be it loosely ) centers around the 24 hours of the eighteenth birthday of Thomas  played by Thomas Mann ( who starred in IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY, one of this film’s few movie veterans ). His parents are headed out of town to celebrate their anniversary ( hmmm, really? ) and have left son Thomas with many strict rules for use of the home (oo-kay). The birthday boy’s best pal Costa ( Oliver Cooper ), along with JB ( Jonathon Daniel Brown ) decide to help throw the party to end all parties all while being video documented by the mostly silent ( and more than a bit creepy ) Dax ( Dax Flame ). We follow them at school as they invite their classmates ( who don’t really know Thomas ), purchase some herb in a shady part of town, and pick up party supplies. Soon the sun sets and the guests arrive. And arrive. And ( … well you get the picture ). Thanks to Dax ( and other video devices and TV news feeds ) we’re in the middle of this raging, out-of-control, endless night.

But is this party worth attending? Well it would help to have some interesting characters involved. Thomas, Costa, and JB are a riff on youthful comic trios used in films since THE LAST AMERICAN VIRGIN all through the vastly superior SUPERBAD. The hero Thomas is the really, nice guy who gets swept up into bad boy behavior ( ala’ RISKY BUSINESS ). JB is the bespectacled uber-nerd, who might just get lucky despite his cluelessness. And then there’s the ringleader, the crass motor-mouth Costa. When he’s not waxing nostalgic on the glories of Queens, he’s going out of his way to be crude and crass to everyone he meets. And he’s playing to the camera constantly ( he favors himself a future viral video superstar ). At least we can hope this little weasel gets his comeuppance. I did find their security team ( two over-eager junior high age guys in bright yellow windbreakers ) a bit amusing. The producers try to shoe-horn a romance subplot into the fracas. Thomas lusts after super hot brunette bad-girl Alexis while not appreciating best pal, blonde gird-girl Kirby ( almost literally the girl-next-door ). Or maybe he will go past the buddy stage. It’s the classic ” Archie-Betty-Veronica ” triangle once again! But without the complexity of those comic book icons. I don’t know when I’ll felt so ancient watching in a movie theatre. The twenty-something target audience was erupting in roars during the wild party scenes while I was using my interior calculator to add up the quickly mounting property damage. PROJECT X is an ode to excess, irresponsibility,and destruction. When the camera not zooming in on the revelers mugging into the camera as they dance and imbibe, we’re treated to random acts of cruelty ( blowing pot smoke in the lil’ pup’s face then tying it to helium balloons-calling PETA! ). I guess we’re suppose to laugh at the old squares in the neighborhood trying to get some sleep. Most of the guys here are selfish pigs while the girls ( except for Kirby ) are there to shake their stuff and drop their tops. One of the main marketing points for the film is the involvement of Todd Phillips as one of the producers. Well, this film made his Hangover flicks look subtle and subdued. It’s tough to laugh when the film makers glorify antics that get ‘ spring-breakers ” killed every year. In that aspect, the movie veers from sloppy to contemptable.There’s little consequences to anything here! Although the film clocks in at 90 minutes, it more than wears out its welcome. PROJECT X goes from party mode to gruelling endurance test. Shut out the lights and call it a night! And stay off my lawn, you darn movie!

Overall Rating: 1/2 out of 5 stars