Janet (Kristin Scott Thomas) is hosting a dinner party to celebrate her recent promotion (her husband Bill – Timothy Spall – is quite useless). The guests include a couple, Martha and Jinny (Cherry Jones and Emily Mortimer), who’ve just found out they’re expecting triplets, another couple, April and Gottfried (Patricia Clarkson and Bruno Ganz) having one ‘last supper’ before they break up forever, and half of a couple, Tom (Cillian Murphy) who brought his own cocaine and gun. Are we having fun yet?
Poor Janet. She’s just achieved a major career coup and every single guest at her party will make a thunder-stealing announcement. It’s really not her night. It’s REALLY not her night.
I love Patricia Clarkson, luminous Patricia Clarkson, and this is the script that she deserves – compact but with lots of punch. Serving as best friend to Kristin Scott Thomas, the two make a fine pair for this satire and I probably would have really loved this film had it just been their two glorious faces in black and white, conversing back and forth in their clipped and candid way.
The film is well-directed by Sally Potter. Basically told in real time, the editing is quick and fluid as we bounce between the various characters and their various bombshells. The Party feels and is a very small film but it’s hard to tear your gaze away from the very talented actors. It’s not very penetrating and at times it embraces its farcical nature; I’m not sure this is the kind of film to stick with you for any length of time. But for the performances alone, and Clarkson’s in particular, I’d say there are worse ways to waste 71 minutes.
ASSHOLES WATCHING MOVIES 
Sounds fun!
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Ha, just imagine being at this party!
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Pretty interesting premise. Might check this one out…as always: Great post! š
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I like the actors in this and I like these type of dinner gatherings so I would like to see this
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I would give it a try. There are films we watch and its for the performances and not so much the film.
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It’s true, it’s such a minimal story that’s really just meant as a platform for great performances.
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They ended up getting you..and then you liked it! See everyone should really see movies for themselves and no one has the same tastes!!
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Haha, I think you tempered my expectations.
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Never even heard of this one. Sounds kind of tragic.
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Sounds like a great plot–I’ll have to look out for this one!
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Youāve got my attention with this review.
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It’s rather rude to go to a party with the intent to steal the show with one’s own news. But I suspect this movie wasn’t made for me.
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It is rude, but believe me, by the end of the movie it’ll seem so tame in comparison.
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This is a little chamber piece I’ve really looked forward to. What a stacked cast — and look who is coming to The Party, it’s Hitler!!!
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Their faces do look great in black and white. Patricia Clarkson looks really good but I didn’t enjoy the film when we saw it at BIFF. Fortunately my wife Karen loved it so it’s got that going for it.
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