In many aspects, Project X is a mirror image of a plethora of high school party/coming of age movies that have always prospered in the multiplexes. The movie revolves around a night in the life of three less than popular guys looking to make a name for themselves in the rat race of high school. However, what sets this movie apart (plot wise, at least) from the Superbad’s and American Pie’s of the past is the fact that the only thing Costa, JB, and Thomas (the guest of honor/birthday boy) want is to throw the most epic party ever. And, as trailer footage will attest, they do so with flying colors.
The extremely simple plot and straight to the point motivation of the characters that Project X has very much benefits it. Because there is no need for exposition or major plot reveals, they are able to get to the serious business of entertaining the audience with wildly stupid antics, absurd yet natural feeling dialogue, and hardcore partying that would make even the most conservative person wish this party was real and they were in attendance.
The three lead characters do a terrific job of keeping the laughs flowing at a steady, reasonable pace, as well as projecting an authentic sense of carefree naiveté that allows for an emotional attachment which allows the audience to identify and relate to quite easily, because they are people we know: Costa is the comic relief whom we shake our head at while we chuckle to ourselves, JB is the seemingly weak link we root for, and Thomas is the guy we know is about to learn a big life lesson.
Costa, from the opening scene to the end credits, clearly steals the show with his over-the-top claims of sexual conquests, and the very persistent and off color degradation of JB, yet when Costa isn’t raking in the laughs we are blessed with a terrific cast of secondary characters and extras who do a very good job of keeping the flow/story and party going. Nowhere is this more evident than with the “security guards.” Without going in to great detail; I will say the extreme age of the characters adds an extra dose of hilarity to the unnecessary measures they take in attempting to keep the peace as the crowd grows and grows.
Thomas Mann, Oliver Cooper, and Jonathan Daniel Brown in “Project X.” Photo by Beth Dubber – © 2012 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
The only thing I think Project X was really lacking was a strong antagonist. We are introduced to a couple, but they are quickly evaded and forgotten only to pop up later to be quickly evaded and forgotten once again. I think the movie could have benefitted from a rivalry between Thomas and the generic popular high school guy who, as we see briefly, enjoys tormenting him. If the other elements of the film didn’t make it so much fun to watch I’d say the omission of the protagonist/antagonist plot device would be unfortunate, but for Project X that’s not the case.
Aside from great characters and an easy to follow plot this movie boasts an awesome soundtrack that was clearly chosen carefully and with purpose, which this writer really appreciated. So, if you’re looking to shut off the old think tank for a little bit and watch some teenagers take it to the edge in order to reach an unfathomable point of popularity; then Project X is definitely worth your time and money.
