Project X - (March 2nd, 2012): R
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Opening Weekend Box Office: #2 with $21,051,363
Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $25,405,734
Gross Revenue: $25,405,734
Production Budget: $12 million
Director: Nima Nourizadeh
Back in 2007, Superbad blazed onto the screen and set a new standard for raunchy humor and behavior on the part of teens; since then, no filmmaker has dared try and replicate that type of unconventional success. That is not to say that raunchy teen comedy is a one-hit wonder, but Warner Bros. and producer Todd Phillips (The Hangover) definitely tried to experiment with Project X, which would be taking unknown actors and the found-footage format to a heretofore unproven area, the high school comedy. Absolutely everyone has at least one high school house-party that they remember (and probably several that they would like to forget), so audience interest had to skyrocket when footage showed teens reveling in a party that seemed to defy all expectations. And in all honesty, my ticket was sold the second I saw that titles like The Hangover and Superbad were being associated with and described as “mild” in comparison to Project X…test audiences seemed to love the mayhem. Imagine my surprise when I learned that early critical reaction was overwhelmingly negative; either this comedy completely missed the mark, or some members of the older demographic simply couldn’t stomach watching teens throw all caution to the wind and engaging in the greatest party ever…there was only one way to find out.
Billed as “the party you’ve only dreamed about,” Project X introduces audiences to three high school friends, Thomas (Thomas Mann), Costa (Oliver Cooper), and J.B. (Jonathan Daniel Brown), all of whom are determined to throw a massive birthday party for Thomas that will skyrocket each of them to high school popularity. As his parents leave the family home in his care for the weekend, Thomas works with Costa and J.B. to spread word about the party throughout the school, hoping that word of mouth will be strong enough to convince the most popular girl, Alexis (Alexis Knapp), to attend. Having taken extra precautions to alert neighbors about the party in order to discourage noise complaints and to hire child security guards that might discourage unwelcome guests, Thomas is understandably disheartened when no one aside from Costa, J.B., and childhood friend Kirby (Kirby Bliss Blanton), shows up. Soon enough, hundreds of guests descend on the house, turning the party into a rousing success that no one expected…it is revealed that Costa posted Thomas’ address on Craigslist and advertised the party over the local radio station. Add-in a violent midget, a flamethrower-wielding drug dealer, and a garden gnome filled with Ecstasy, and the party quickly spirals out of control, causing the friends to both revel in the positive impact on their popularity and contemplate how they will ever repair the damage done to the house.
Even though Project X earned my lowest classification, I would be lying if I said that I didn’t enjoy at least part of the film, as there is a perverse enjoyment to be had in watching a wild party decline into utter chaos. As long as the party wasn’t at YOUR house, I think that a majority of moviegoers would agree that the evening’s events looked like a blast; and seriously, who hasn’t dreamed about throwing a party that turns you into a high school god and finally gets you the attention of gorgeous classmates (who apparently have no standards whatsoever)? In terms of the film’s characters, forget the three party hosts (who will be torn apart momentarily), the best partygoers are the two child security guards, whose sarcastic and violent antics are easily the funniest moments throughout the entire running time. But you have to ask yourself, is a few years of high school infamy worth virtually bankrupting your parents, destroying their house, gutting your college fund, and facing jail time for inciting a riot? Of course not, but Project X would irresponsibly have you believe that the trade-off is not only fair, but something to be encouraged…and that is a message that cannot be justified with the vile characters and complete disregard for logic that plague this “comedy.”
When you think about teen comedies like Can’t Hardly Wait, American Pie, or Superbad, the parties may have been epic, but you best remember the well-rounded characters, who may engage in some questionable behavior, but ultimately display enough heart to earn some redemption…such is not the case with Project X, whose vile characters neither deserve forgiveness nor do anything to earn redemption, yet somehow illogically come out on top. Thomas’ hesitancy to destroy his parents’ house evaporates almost instantaneously, turning him into an irresponsible and heartless ingrate, while J.B. can be described as little more than a pathetic leech, but the worst by far is Costa, who reinforces every negative teenage stereotype imaginable. In a grand-total of five seconds into the movie, Costa alienates ninety-percent of the moviegoers who would usually support a snarky sidekick; this kid is so disgustingly arrogant, crude, and shockingly unfunny that you are rocked by the impulse to take his party chalice and beat him into unconsciousness. Now, maybe Project X could have saved itself if all of the shockingly bad behavior was punished, but these kids illogically dodge any repercussion; there is no way in hell that I buy Thomas’ dad not killing his son because he is impressed that the kid he considered a “loser” was able to draw a crowd…yeah, that justifies him destroying your house and sinking your Mercedes. With absolutely no conscience, Project X took a daring concept and made no effort to elevate the project beyond mindless, unoriginal trash with surprisingly little humor…don’t waste your time or money.
As a raunchy teen comedy, Project X didn’t have a chance of overtaking the family appeal of The Lorax, but a $21 million debut certainly illustrates that audiences still responded to the idea of some wild laughs. And even though critics hated the film, audience polling still remains relatively high, so it is unlikely that word of mouth will bury Project X, which in my view is a bit of a disappointment. As the March box office starts to gain momentum after the notoriously slow winter months, this comedy will likely be able to draw continued revenue against diverse offerings like John Carter and The Hunger Games, but personally I think that 21 Jump Street would be a far better choice. Warner Bros. does not seem too worried, as a sequel has already green-lit, but I cannot image what anyone would have done to deserve seeing Costa onscreen again. Plain and simple, if you are looking forward to the wild party scenes and gratuitous nudity, I still think that you should wait and rent Project X, because it is just too horrible to justify paying money for a theater ticket.
Overall Recommendation: Very Low
