DON’T OPEN INVITATION TO ‘THE PARTY’
“The Party” takes place in just one location — a home somewhere in London — and runs in real time, a very brief 71 minutes. But this stagey setup, instead of mimicking realism, only reinforces the artificiality and clichés of this evening-soiree-gone-wrong exercise.
Director/writer Sally Potter, who made the well-regarded teen drama “Ginger & Rosa” six years ago, has corralled a solid cast of veterans, including Kristin Scott Thomas, Patricia Clarkson, Bruno Ganz, Cillian Murphy and Timothy Spall, to tell a story of deception over dinner. But what was no doubt meant to be a smart, humorous and incisive war of wits is instead mostly grating, facile and unfunny.
Thomas is Janet, a politically ambitious woman whose elevation to health minister is cause for celebration. She decides to throw a get-together for a few friends, much to the consternation of her husband, Bill (Spall). As each guest arrives, the tension increases, and it’s apparent that, before the night is over, more secrets will be spilled than wine.
This is hardly a new concept but, with savvy writing and inspired execution, it could still work. Though, little of it feels authentic here. These characters don’t talk or behave like real people. There’s one crucial point where it seems obvious that someone should call an ambulance but that impulse doesn’t seem to occur to anyone.
The bickering between Janet’s best friend, April (Clarkson), and her husband, Gottfried (Ganz), meant to offer some biting comedic relief, is just tiresome.
There are moments, mostly in the latter half, when the ensemble works well together and Thomas, especially, gets to shine as her world falls apart. Another plus: Shot in black and white, “The Party” possesses a monochromatic visual beauty.
But these elements aren’t enough to justify attending this “Party.”