'Project' an X-ceedingly bad teen comedy
One way to look at the raunchy teen sex-and-drugs comedy "Project X" would be to take the classic Chicago movie "Risky Business" and remake it as a "Girls Gone Wild" amateur production, stripped of dignity, craftsmanship, moral point of view and bras.
"Project X" preaches the gospel of popularity to the very adolescent demographic already obsessed with it.
This movie boldly demonstrates how popularity trumps everything in life, especially relationships with friends, family and significant others. It says popularity eclipses money, possessions, safety, responsibility and decency.
Plus, the ending scene in "Project X" asserts that if you do become popular, <I>everyone </I>will love you, even those you hurt, disappointed or destroyed on your climb to the top. Apparently, once you've achieved popularity, nothing else really matters.
"Project X" (I'm still fuzzy on why this movie adopted the title from Matthew Broderick's 1987 chimpanzee experiment thriller) utilizes the cheap and overdone "Blair Witch" gimmick of "found footage," here collected from student cameras, cellphones, TV news reports and police video.
An obnoxious upperclassman named Costa (Oliver Cooper) wants his best bud Thomas (Thomas Mann) to have the best birthday party possible. That way, the hot girls at school in North Pasadena will come to the party and Costa and Thomas will become cool guys.
A portly, hygienically challenged stereotype named J.B. (Jonathan Brown) joins Costa and Thomas as the third Stooge in this comic misadventure, produced by Todd Phillips of "The Hangover" credentials. They set up the party to end all parties after Thomas' dullard mom and dad take off for the weekend.
Mom worries Thomas might have friends over and destroy their expensive house.
"This is Thomas we're talking about," Dad chirps. "He's a sweet kid. But he's a loser!"
Dad tells Thomas that while he's gone, nobody should touch the den or the Mercedes, thereby letting us know what we can look forward to in terms of destruction.
About 2,000 party animals show up at Thomas' place, and it takes about 16 nanoseconds before pandemonium breaks out, prompting my favorite line of dialogue: "There's a midget in the oven!" - uttered after students do indeed stuff a little person into a kitchen oven.
(Where did a midget come from? If you want logic, you're clearly not the demographic this film's after.)
Students tie a lovable dog named Milo to helium balloons and send him skyward. Meanwhile, girls jump into the swimming pool and pop more tops than the convertibles at a car convention.
As the party escalates into drugs, sex, fire, explosions and S.W.A.T. teams, Thomas has a friend in the cute and blonde Kirby (played by Kirby Bliss Blanton, no kidding), who lets us know she's the nice girl because she keeps her top on.
At first, Kirby has no problem with Thomas scoring with girls at the party. But when she catches him in bed with a brunette, she freaks.
They're not even an item. Why would Kirby freak? (Again, if you want logic, you're clearly not the demographic this film's after.)
"Project X" marks the feature directorial debut of commercial maker Nima Nourizadeh, who infuses this comedy with all the cinematic finesse of a "Jackass" sequel.
Party disaster movies such as "Superbad," "American Pie," "The Party" and "House Party" work when they're <I>about</I> chaos, and not<I> made chaotically.
</I>After "Project X," Jimmy Kimmel should swear off making cameo appearances in R-rated teen movies. He should protect what low standards he has worked to achieve.
“Project X”
½ star
Starring: Thomas Mann, Oliver Cooper, Jonathan Brown
Directed by: Nima Nourizadeh
Other: A Warner Bros. release. Rated R for drug use, nudity, language, sexual situations. 87 minutes