Like a crude piece of artwork, Project X’s trailer enthralled me to go see the movie but left me wanting to wash my eyes out with soap afterwards. Directed by The Hangover’s Nima Nourizadeh, Project X is about one huge rave party that takes place in someone’s backyard and all the mayhem that is the result of this reckless teen fantasy.
Filmed using the “shaky camera” technique, the movie tried to make it seem like real found footage but the illusion quickly disintegrated when we started watching the camera person teleporting between a dog in a moon bounce, to conveniently below various girls’ skirts, to close up shots of the main characters in private conversations.
Don’t get me wrong, I like watching a stupid comedy like the average teen guy but what seemingly began as a profound cultural touchstone in American humor (we miss you Super Bad, Tommy Boy and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) turned into a grim-borderline-pornographic disgrace. There should be a “Don’t try this at home” message flashing over the screen every second of the movie. It scares me to think that some people might try to replicate Project X in real life.
Project X is a painfully predicatable sad excuse to show teens drinking booze, taking drugs and having sex. Enjoy… if it’s possible.