How to Talk to Girls at Parties
Directed by John Cameron Mitchell
Written by Philippa Goslett and John Cameron Mitchell
The review:
Having gone into this film without knowing anything about it, I was surprised when a cute film about three kids into punk music took a very galactic turn.* While I found a lot of the alien stuff to be focused on worries of straight fourteen-year-old boys, I thought all the alien set decoration was very fun, especially when compared to the punks.** I don’t think this movie holds together very well, but it’s interesting to look at, I enjoyed both Fanning and Sharp, and there was a recurring joke about the alien music I found amusing.***
The verdict: Good?
(There were just enough elements to push this from Skip to Good, but it’s barely over the line. Proceed with caution.)
Cost: free via Hoopla, one of Multnomah County Library’s streaming services.
Where watched: at home
Consider also watching:
- Teen Spirit (a serviceable movie about music set in Britain and starring Ellen Fanning.)
- Starman
- Side note: this film is currently ranked #15 on the IMDB List “Most Popular Alien Disguised As Human Movies and TV Shows”
- And, I have no other suggestions.
Further sentences:
*I found my way to this film because I enjoyed Alex Sharp in The Hustle and this was an easily accessible film he starred in, plus I like Elle Fanning. The summary of the film begins, “An alien touring the galaxy breaks away from her group and meets…” Had I read that before watching, I would have been prepared for the strange alien turn. Because I was not, I was probably more amused at this film than I would have been.
**Or, for that matter, Enn’s home.
***Ethan Lawrence describing the aliens’ music at the record shop and to a DJ cracked me up.
Questions:
- What’s your favorite human/alien film?
- You’ve just watched this film. Do you think you wasted your time?
- Have you read Neil Gaiman’s original short story on which this was based? How do the two compare?
Favorite IMDB trivia item:
American DJ James Murphy developed a new genre for the soundtrack, described as “extraterrestrial dance music”.
Other reviews of How to Talk to Girls at Parties:
- Nikola Grozdanovic, The Playlist
- Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly
