Project X
By Jeffrey M. Anderson,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
All-night-party movie has rampant teen sex, drinking, more.
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Project X
Community Reviews
Based on 24 parent reviews
A raunchy film involving high school students throwing a party
What's the Story?
Thomas (Thomas Mann) is a quiet, shy high school senior living in Pasadena. His parents go out of town for the weekend, leaving him on his own for his birthday. His loudmouth pal, Costa (Oliver J. Cooper), who once lived in Queens, New York, arranges a party to help Thomas out of his shell and meet some girls. Their friend JB (Jonathan Daniel Brown), a bespectacled nerd whose exterior belies a suave party animal, helps. Thomas hopes for a small gathering and to keep revelers in the backyard and out of the house, but Costa theorizes that the bigger the party, the more it counts, and before long, thousands of people show up, and the night spins wildly out of control.
Is It Any Good?
This party truly is out of control -- and, frankly, shockingly funny at times. The all-night-party subgenre has been around for ages, including everything from American Graffiti and Sixteen Candles to Superbad. Though the parties seem to get crazier over the years, these movies almost always focus on young characters learning a lesson or coming of age. Not so in PROJECT X. Here, character is set aside to make room for a much more insane, out-of-control party experience, in which -- no matter how much damage is incurred or how much it costs -- it was worth it.
As the movie goes on and the party rages harder, the images become more and more primal, like half-glimpsed snippets of a nightmare experienced through a drunken fog. Project X takes the perspective that a great party is one in which we can turn off our brains and let our bodies go wild. But that doesn't change the fact that it's too intense for teens, and too disturbing for parents.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the teen drinking in Project X. What are the real-life consequences of alcohol and drug use? How does that compare to the consequences typically shown in movies?
How does the movie portray teen sex? Is there pressure for kids to have sex at this age? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.
What lessons do the characters learn after their party? Do any of them justify the path it took to get there?
Movie Details
- In theaters: March 2, 2012
- On DVD or streaming: June 19, 2012
- Cast: Jonathan Daniel Brown , Oliver J. Cooper , Thomas Mann
- Director: Nima Nourizadeh
- Inclusion Information: Middle Eastern/North African directors
- Studio: Warner Bros.
- Genre: Comedy
- Run time: 88 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: crude and sexual content throughout, nudity, drugs, drinking, pervasive language, reckless behavior and mayhem - all involving teens
- Last updated: August 16, 2023
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