Review of The Party

An excellent ensemble cast fail to lift the film from its limitations. The film comes across very much as a theatre play. There is nothing to suggest it benefits from being filmed rather than staged. The satire, while acerbic is a very obvious commentary on a post-Brexit, post Trump world with clear reference to British politics. But the satire has a cynical edge to it that makes the film unpleasant viewing as all of the characters compete for nastiness. While none of the supposed twists and turns come as any surprise. The plot such as it is concerns a newly promoted politician who hosts a dinner party to celebrate. Things turn sour almost immediately as the guests start to arrive. The film moves straight into the drama with no build-up and the film is noticeably short. It could have benefitted from a slower pace and more character development. As it is, the characters are rather crude stereotypes who fail to elicit any sympathy. Its all quite a shame as the film had potential. As expected from such a heavyweight cast, the performances are all strong. And the current political climate offers plenty of material for satire which the film fails to fully exploit.