Party Hard Review
Party Hard is a 2020 feature film directed by William Nicholas Clay, with writing from Clay and Stephen T. Canada.
An interesting blend of a Judd Apatow style comedy with a mix of 90s era DIY filmmaking, Party Hard has some heartfelt moments, but takes just a touch too long to liftoff.
If there is a single huge note that one could offer at the film it is the amount of time spent at the first bar our three friends Chandler, Jules, and Ty go to. Speeding up this single element would have helped move the characters along to what ends up being a much more interesting film in the second act.
What this film certainly has going for it is a strong sense of character and personality. Each character in the film feels well defined, even if those traits delve into firmly treaded territory. It informs the audience who these people are, and we can relate to them fairly quickly. This is another point why moving at more of a quicker pace would help a film like this. It works in something like Superbad because after we find our motivations for the characters; we move into different locations and obstacles quickly.
This is another bit of a muddy point for the movie. The motivations don’t really feel clear overall, with little drama in the way of our break up storyline touched on throughout. Our protagonist finds solace in another woman, but yet this character disappears after a few scenes and her introduction takes place far too late into the story. The girl he still fawns over doesn’t have a true presence until the last half hour of the film as well. The elements are all there on paper; they are just jumbled up.
From a technical side, as mentioned, this is a very DIY style of filmmaking. Shots are muddy, filmed on location with available lighting, and various media sources such as a GoPro, or cell phones. It is endearing to see elements utilized, but it comes too often to be a quick gimmick for a bit of visual variety, almost becoming a crutch. It is great to see a film being made despite limitations, but it makes the film become almost like a vlog in certain sections.
This is a film with a good light hearted spirit that has a lot of elements that work throughout. It is just the combination of those pieces that feel a little off. We should applaud the number of extras and techniques to make it all happen, of course. This film also has an excellent score with a lot of great musical sections that help keep the energy flowing as well.
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To rent or buy: Amazon
Cheers!
Daniel Hess
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