Timothy
Spall Kristin
Scott Thomas
Patricia Clarkson Bruno Ganz
Cherry Jones Emily Mortimer Cillian Murphy
This is a British comedy, probably not to
American tastes, that presents as a staged theatre production in black and
white film. It starts as a drama
among a group of intelligent academic types, and quickly transforms into a
satirical comedy. Janet (Thomas)
is celebrating a political victory with a party in her home with close friends
after she wins the position of shadow health minister. With the support of her friends, she
has aspirations eventually for party leadership and even prime minister. Her husband Bill (Spall), a professor,
seems a bit out of it, sitting in his rocking chair and drinking wine, until their
friends April (Clarkson) and Gottfried (Ganz) arrive and he spends most of the
rest of the time talking and drinking with Gottfried. April is rather cynical, and satisfyingly reports that she
and Gottfried are separated.
Gottfried is a “healer” of some kind who always takes an optimistic view
of whatever is confronting him; hence his and April’s conflicts. She constantly puts him down, but he
never seems to notice.
Janet is in the kitchen preparing canapes,
while periodically taking calls from an apparent lover, when financier Tom
(Murphy) arrives, looking very agitated, disappearing into the bathroom
repeatedly, and conflicted about a gun he is carrying/hiding. The other two guests at the party are
Lesbians, Martha (Jones) and Jinny (Mortimer), who announce they are having
triplets. Jinny is the pregnant
one, and she also has to disappear into the bathroom now and then, where she
runs into Tom.
The “fun” comes when crises erupt and secrets
emerge, which seem to be related to all
their relationships. It turns out
that the group is enmeshed with a colorful history that is impinging on their
current lives. As the secrets
unfold, we see the reactions of each, and in the process are greatly
entertained by their all-too-human reactions and solutions.
The Party
does not contain profound observations, but it has sharp-witted conversation
and striking characters played by top-tier actors.
Sit and enjoy the banter and barbs of long-time
friends gathering for a celebration, which gets completely lost in the
revelations of so many secrets.
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