“One,
here comes the two to the three to the four,
Everybody
drunk out on the dance floor,
Baby
girl ass jiggle like she want more,
Like
she a groupie and I ain’t even on tour”
—J-Kwon,
“Tipsy”
Everybody
loves a good party, and the world of cinema is no exception. The party movie is
a time-honoured cinematic tradition that has been consistent since rock n’ roll
first exploded the phenomenon of teenageism into the global consciousness.
It’s
plain to see why they’re so popular. Party movies – usually featuring the most
raucous good times you could imagine – offering us a chance to live vicariously
through the festivities. With the advent of the recent Project X, the question becomes: why
do these films keep getting made? Very little in terms of formula has changed
over the decades. We usually watch a group of misfits earn their street cred by
sheerly out-awesoming the competition, encountering babes, villains, and
loveable stereotypes along the way.
Perhaps
the reason these movies are - and will forever be – is that they become
touchstones for the generation in which they appear. Every great party flick
serves as something of a go-to point for current stylistic precedent. They
reflect the tropes and fashions of an era, exemplifying the attitudes of their
time. Watching these movies is like opening up a time capsule – they show us how
kids of yore liked to get down. It’s like a little walk down the aisles of
hootenanny history.
1950s:
Blackboard Jungle
(1955)
– Though there is no genre-standard house party in Blackboard Jungle, it simply can’t go without
acknowledgement. With the opening credits kicking off to Bill Haley & His
Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock”, this was the first movie to capture the lightning-in-a-bottle
that was the teen revolution.
Just
as the aforementioned track has often been pointed to as the first monumental
rock and roll crossover, this movie was the visualization of that sentiment.
The landmark film portrays students engaging in anti-social behaviour at an
inner-city school in a way that was practically unheard of at the time. Upon
release, it ignited a firestorm of public reaction; teenage audiences rioted in
the theatres. The public reaction was mental, and it blew open the doors to the
millions of parties that would follow.
Honourable
Mention: There
are none. This movie started it all.
1960s:
Blow-Up
(1966)
– What a happening decade this was. The 1960s saw the exercising of personal
liberties elevated to great new heights on both sides of the Atlantic: on the
American West Coast, the hippies were enjoying psychedelic love-ins, while in
NYC, the artsy camp of Andy Warhol was trending hard. But perhaps most groovy
of all was Swinging London. Ultra-cool Mod fashion ran the streets and Blow-Up
was the
film that spoke on its behalf.
Though
it follows a deeply psychological murder-mystery that highlights much of the
inherent narcissistic uncertainties of the era, it also features a
comprehensive walk-through of the most far-out spots in the capitol of cool. In
an iconic scene, the protagonist finds himself at an underground concert
featuring the Yardbirds that sees Jeff Beck and a pre-Zeppelin Jimmy Page smashing
the shit out of their guitars and amps on stage.
Honourable
Mention: Endless
Summer (1966)
– A documentary, Endless Summer follows some surfer dudes as they traverse the
globe, literally chasing the summertime. The flick actually did a lot to raise
awareness of the ultra-laid back lifestyle of surf, and inspired more than a
few people to hit the coast – permanently.
1970s:
Animal House
(1978)
– Toga! This is the Holy Grail of the party flick genre. No other film has seen
such drunkenness and such debauchery; quite simply, no other film has had as
much fun. In many ways, Animal House set precedents that are standard to the genre
(right down to the crusty old dean trying to put a stop to the party).
The
film is set at a ramshackle fraternity house that is being put on the academic kibosh due to legendarily
low GPAs. Their battle plan seems to involve little more than extreme amounts
of alcohol and as much social disruption as John Belushi and company can cause.
This turns out to be a lot. If you are incapable of enjoying this movie, you
need a serious fun transplant.
Honourable Mention: American Graffiti (1973) – Directed by a pre-Star Wars George Lucas, American Graffiti is an American classic. With a great doo-wop soundtrack and a brilliant web of coming-of-age anecdotes, this is one of the greats.
1980s:
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
(1986)
– Anyone who would suggest that this is not a party film has never encountered
the title character. He’s a walking party. All he does is skip class one day,
and before too long he’s leading the goddamn Chicago parade to “Twist and
Shout“.
The
director of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, John Hughes, was the man responsible for some of the
most beloved and most '80s films of them all (The Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink, etc.), and this is the one. It’s full of pure
positive energy and humour, still making plenty of time for genuine edge-of-adulthood
meditation. If everyone were a little more like Ferris Bueller, the world would
be a much happier place.
Honourable
Mention: Fast
Times at
Ridgemont
High (1982)
– This is the party flick that launched a thousand legitimate dramatic careers.
It was written by Cameron Crowe, who went on to make Almost Famous and Jerry Maguire, and stars future Oscar
winners Sean Penn and Forest Whitaker, as well as a host of other big names.
Keep an eye out for Nicholas Cage in his very first role, flipping patties at
the All-American Burger.
1990s:
Can’t Hardly Wait
(1998)
– The 1990s saw what were probably the most teen-centric revelations since the
1950s. With the Baby Boomers (the ones responsible for the first wave of youth
revolution) having hit adulthood, they dominated the '70s and '80s. It wasn’t
until Generation X took the stage that the voice of youth guided the
overarching stylistic consciousness once again. This came in the form of
subversive subculture, Kurt Cobain and his ilk, and the slap-happy good times
of the '90s party flick.
Enter
Can’t Hardly Wait.
Talk about party flicks – this entire movie takes place at the party. Like its
later contemporaries American Pie and Ten Things I Hate About You, it follows a standard
losing-our-virginity-manic-high-school-party tract, but along the way lays
claim to heaps of individuality and charm. Suffice it to say, the genre was
pretty stacked for the decade.
Honourable Mention: Dazed and Confused (1993) – By most standards, Dazed and Confused is the best of these pictures. However, the reason it can’t be taken as the decade-definer is that it doesn’t actually take place in the '90s. Following a wonderful ensemble cast on the last day of school in 1976, it runs the gamut of good-time humour and coming-of-age catharsis. It features a dynamite pop-fly time capsule of a soundtrack, and like all great flashback films, it uses the past as a reflection of the state of contemporary ideals. Groovy stuff.
2000s:
Superbad
(2007)
– The 21st century brought with it an interesting twist in the standards of pop
culture: the self-celebration of the nerd. With guys like Seth Rogen and Michel
Cera becoming legitimate movie stars, it became cool to acknowledge your love
of RoboCop and
video games.
You
could say that Superbad was the movie that expressed that in the biggest way. It’s the hilarious
adventure of a small gang of hapless nerds as they try to win the party. Of
course, the adventure is fraught with pratfalls and triumphs (mostly pratfalls)
and along the way they realize that they’re crazy to try and pretend to be what
they’re not. It's got its share of quality ridiculousness, but balances itself
with a fair degree of sweetness.
Honourable
Mention: Old
School (2003)
– Old School is
an awesome take on the college party film. Basically a group of middle-aged losers
start up their own fraternity to offset their lameness. Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn
are at their best, and a pre-Ari Gold Jeremy Piven is the pain-in-the-ass
trying to shut them down. How do they win? As usual, it involves booze.
Party
on, everyone!
//Jonty Davies, columnist
//Jonty Davies, columnist
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