Movie Review: 'Project X'

“Project X” opens with a disclaimer from Warner Bros. apologizing to the citizens of Pasadena. Ah, found-footage movies. They’ve become increasingly popular since 1999’s “The Blair Witch Project,” but have pretty much stayed within the horror movie genre…until now. “Project X” marks the first found-footage comedy about a group of three friends that decide to throw a house party to gain popularity -- a party that quickly spirals out of control.

The trio is made up of stock characters (there’s more than a whiff of “Superbad” here), but it doesn’t really make them any less effective. Funniest of the group is Costa; he’s your typical foul-mouthed douche. He drinks from a chalice and doesn’t see anything wrong with advertising for a party at his friend’s house on Craigslist. JB represents “the fat one” (together they make up the Jonah Hill role). Then there’s Thomas, the skinny, awkward one (the Michael Cera role). It’s his birthday. With his parents out of town, there’s only one thing to do, right?

Going into the film, I couldn’t imagine what they could possibly do that would shock me. I’ve seen “Can’t Hardly Wait,” I know what a crazy teen party looks like. However, so much of what makes “Project X” funny and memorable is the fact that it does take it further, further than my vivid imagination was able to initially take me.


There’s no plot here – the movie solely exists to make you feel like you’re a part of the party. There’s loud, pulsing music throughout, many a montage of girls taking their tops off, people taking body shots, jumping of the roof…all that debauchery we’ve come to see in movie parties and so much more.

Small on substance and huge on shock value, this is the kind of movie that will live on through phrases like, “Let’s party it up, Project X style!” While you may not find yourself laughing the whole time, you’ll definitely have your eyes bulging out of your head by the party’s end.

Rating: B