The Anniversary Party Details

Sharp satire on Hollywood

This was a sharp satire about Hollywood and the film industry. But as it is a film written and directed by film stars about film stars, there is also a lot of backslapping going on as well. It is a satrical drama more than a laugh out loud comedy, and it is VERY SLOWLY paced. But if you enjoy a talkative film, then this will pass a couple of hours ok.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Renting this film is tantamount to self-abuse (and not in a good way)

A lot of reviews of this film say that nothing happens in this film. This is not true, things do happen in this film. What these reviews probably mean to say (and in many cases go on to say) is that nothing a). interesting b.) amusing or c.) resembling anyone's actual life anywhere (including Hollywood) takes place in the course of this awful, self indulgant mess of a film.

The film takes place at an anniversary party hosted by a couple (played by Jennifer jason Leigh and the execrable Alan Cumming) who are, I think, supposed to be charming in a sort of flawed, highly strung Hollwood way but instead are so insufferably irritating that I found it practically impossible not to shout 'I HATE YOU. GET OFF THE SCREEN' everytime they appeared luckily my friends hated them as much as we did and the film was made almost bearable. Almost all the characters in this film fall into one of two categories: the aforementioned 'irritating, utterly unconvincing neurotic' camp (in which Alan Cumming and Jennifer Jason Leigh are firmly placed) and the completely unmemorable, why were they there? camp (most prominent in this camp- if this isn't an oxymoron- is the very talented Parker Posey who is in this film and that is literally all I can tell you about her character). The exceptions to this rule are Jane Adams ( who puts in a good performance as a neurotic actress) and Mina Badie whose character (apparently a neighbour from hell but who comes across as reasonable and mature)is treated so badly by the vile hosts that I felt genuinely sorry for her.

The problem with this film is not the acting however but with the absolutely awful story and script. It feels like it has been written by someone who has never ever been to a party or interacted with another adult human being. I can absolutely guarantee that this film would not have been made if it had not been written by Cumming and Jason Leigh and I find it appalling that it took up studio time and money that could have been so much better spent (even it were spent on ordering new watercoolers for the studio reception area). It is also hideous vanity that Cumming cast himself in a role that he is so obviously not suited to and turns in the worst performance I have ever seen in any kind of film medium. Back to the story/script: There is no build up, no illusion of civility, no sense of things bubblling up under the surface of a flawed marriage, no subtle tensions between guests... This is a film in which a bunch of adults behave like stupid, aggresive children, take E and then behave even worse. It's like the lovechild of 'Abigail's party' and 'The Player' was dropped on it's head as a baby, given the world's worst haircut and then pushed under a bus.

In conclusion this is a film made by Hollywood actors for no one. It's like Alan Cumming called up Jennifer Jason Leigh and said let's write a film, let's cut out the middleman... and so a film was born so utterly lacking in intelligence, wit or realism that it becomes a surreal nightmare, like a hangover of the soul... To quote Ebert (talking about another film): I HATED HATED HATED HATED THIS MOVIE (I added one more hate but I think it's deserved).