FILM REVIEW: Project X

Project X is yet another 2012 film that comes seemingly out of nowhere and should be poised to make lots of money. It’s following in the footsteps of Chronicle, a very similar (technically-executed) ‘found-footage’ film that elevates the medium above what it traditionally has been in the past. Rather than using the genre as a gimmick, Project X takes the ‘found-footage’ concept and uses it to tell a story. A very R-rated, nudity-filled, profanity-laden story. But still, a story; and a damn good one at that.

Co-written by Michael Bacall of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World fame and produced by The Hangover’s Todd Phillips, Project X has some serious talent backing it. The story is simple, and reading up on it or even watching the trailers will spoil a lot of the fun and initial shock of the film. All you need to know is that it’s about three high school kids throwing a party.

Like a lot of great films, Project X takes place over the course of one night and doesn’t rely on any gimmicks or tricks to get the story across. The combination of perfectly executed ‘found-footage’ film-style and director Nima Nourizadeh’s brilliant storytelling techniques, make the audience feel like party-goers- truly experiencing all the antics of the evening.

Staring relative unknowns, the cast in this film is sure to skyrocket to super-stardom overnight as was the case of Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse way back in 2007 when Superbad came out. Everyone here plays really well off each other and acts about as naturally as possible considering what’s going on around them. The scope of the story, from the party itself to the drama and the comedy, is really amazing and could have turned out to be a disaster if it wasn’t left in the hands of such capable (and funny) stars.

While the film doesn’t pull out the sophisticated laughs that some might hope for, there is still a ton of fun to be had and many other things to love about this film. It’s no doubt the people that love childish jokes and watching others getting hit in the crotch will bring this movie to the top of the box office, but it’s the people who enjoy a well made film that will sit in the back of the theatre, laugh at everyone else laughing at the wrong times, and enjoy every second of this movie for a variety of different reasons.

Project X is destined to become the next great comedy. The comedy everyone quotes. The comedy that ends up on t-shirts and posters and in the DVD collection of college dorms everywhere; but don’t let that turn you off of it if that’s not your cup of tea. It’s a great film with great talent attached to it that’s sure to make a lot of people very famous. It’s incredibly well made and deserves to be seen by anyone who likes good films…and isn’t easily offended.