Monday, June 4, 2018

Day 2386 - How to Talk to Girls at Parties

Have you ever seen a movie in a theater, and thought to yourself, "This isn't going to last more than a week, but people are going to talk about it in a few years."  It's the perfect cult film experience.  I sorta feel like How to Talk to Girls at Parties is going to be one of those films.  Based on a short story by Neil Gaiman (Sandman) and directed by John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), this movie about three teenagers who love punk rock in 1970's England and then find themselves involved with a group of space aliens (yeah, really), is going to be divisive.  When I was in the theater, one of the people in the theater walked out and simply stated, "I don't think I'll ever see a better movie than that."  I know that I was still processing the movie at the time (and I was liking it), but that helped me realize that I really, really like the film.  And just about 10 minutes ago, I pulled up the IMDB page for the film (so I could have it at the ready for character and actor names), and the main review is a one-star review from someone who thoroughly hated the film.  I can understand that thought process, too.

The movie is a hodgepodge of ideas and images.  Enn is a typical kid who thinks punk rock speaks to his values, but also just wants to find a girl to hang out with.  Zan is your typical alien who is tired of the same old thing.  Together they find love, and he opens her eyes to the craziness that is his world.  Enn is played by Alex Sharp and he does a fine job as our viewpoint into this insane world.  And Elle Fanning is tremendous playing Zan, as she rebels against her programming, learns about the London underground culture, and makes the decision to strike out on her own.

I'm keeping the whole alien thing deliberately low-key, but it's a crazy part of the film.  The budget for the movie was probably incredibly small.  Nearly all the effects are practical ones and the costumes, while striking, don't seem to have cost a lot of money.  But that creates an atmosphere that emulates the punk attitude of the film.  We don't need flash, we just need commitment.  And this film has it.  The alien aspect of the film is weird.  There are different factions of aliens.  We don't know what all of them want.  We don't know why they are here.  And when we do find out, it's both silly and insane all at once.

Say what you will about the movie itself, like it or hate it, but some of the acting is truly on point.  Besides the aforementioned leads, Nicole Kidman plays an aging punk rock promoter who's seen a lot of bands move up the fame ladder, while she's still in the same dreary spot.  She's great.  She captures both the resignation, as well as the eternal optimism of a character who hopes for a future that means something.  And Enn's friend John (as played by Ethan Lawrence) steals nearly every scene he's in, simply by being goofy and charming.  Watching him dance at an alien party might be one of my favorite scenes of the year.

This is a movie filled with bright colors, loud music, offbeat characters, and a story that tries to be more deep than it actually is.  But it's charming, has a solid sense of humor, and characters that I thoroughly enjoyed following.  It's not for everyone, but for me, it hit all the right buttons and seems tailor-made to be a midnight movie years from now.

***1/2