Project X (2012)
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A simple plan to throw a high school party spirals into a massive, uncontrollable public spectacle.
The story
In Pasadena, high-school students Costa and J.B. plan to throw a party for their friend Thomas Kub's 17th birthday, aiming to increase their popularity. Thomas's parents go away for the weekend, leaving him alone in the house, but warn him not to have too many people over and not to drive his father's Mercedes-Benz CLS. Thomas is reluctant to have the party at his house, but Costa continues with his plan and hires A/V student Dax to chronicle the night's events. While Costa, J.B., and Dax advertise the party throughout the school, Thomas himself invites his best friend Kirby, who has a crush on him, and Alexis, a popular girl in their school whom Thomas has his own crush on.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In Pasadena, high-school students Costa and J.B. plan to throw a party for their friend Thomas Kub's 17th birthday to gain popularity. Despite Thomas's reluctance, Costa advertises the party on Craigslist and a local radio station. The event quickly spirals out of control as hundreds of people arrive, leading to a massive, chaotic celebration that draws the attention of neighbors and the police. During the chaos, the partygoers consume drugs, and the situation escalates into violence and property damage, eventually attracting televised news coverage. A local drug dealer, T-Rick, arrives with a flamethrower to reclaim a stolen gnome, causing a massive fire in the neighborhood. The party ends when the police and a SWAT team move in. In the aftermath, the boys face various consequences: Thomas's college fund is used to pay for damages, Costa is put up for paternity tests, J.B. is declared mentally unfit to stand trial, and Dax is investigated for his parents' disappearance. Despite the fallout, the boys are celebrated by their peers at school.
- First release year
- 2012
- Runtime (minutes)
- 88
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Nima Nourizadeh
- Writers
- Michael Bacall · screenplay; Matt Drake · screenplay; Michael Bacall · story
- Cast and characters
- Thomas Mann · Thomas; Oliver Cooper · Costa; Jonathan Daniel Brown · J.B.; Kirby Bliss Blanton · Kirby; Dax Flame · Dax; Brady Hender · Everett; Nick Nervies · Tyler; Alexis Knapp · Alexis; Miles Teller · himself
- Genres
- found footage; teen comedy; crime comedy; black comedy
- Themes
- loss of control; consequences of actions; peer pressure
- Tone and mood
- chaotic; anarchic; thrilling
- Setting
- Pasadena, California during a high school student's 17th birthday weekend.
- Premise and plot tags
- teen party; found footage; escalating chaos
- Content notes
- drug use
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews, with some critics praising its energy and 'Animal House' comparisons while others condemned it as mean-spirited and poorly acted.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 28% · scale: percentage · review count: 139; Metacritic · score: 48 · scale: 100 · review count: 25; CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- MTV Movie Award · Best Comedic Performance · 2012 · nomination; MTV Movie Award · Best On-Screen Dirtbag · 2012 · nomination; MTV Movie Award · Best Music · 2012 · nomination
- Production trivia
- The title was originally a placeholder.; The film was inspired by a real-life 2008 house party in Australia.; The film was one of the most pirated of 2012.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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