Here we are in 2012 and yet another movie abusing the found-footage gimmick has managed to somehow prowl its way into the box office.
The latest is titled “Project X,” whose name has very little to do with its over-the-top raunchy story.
“Project X” tells the story of three wannabee high school socialites—Thomas (Thomas Mann), Costa (Oliver Cooper) and J.B. (Jonathan Daniel Brown)—and their quest to become popular by hosting a massive birthday party for Thomas.
As the party drags on more into the night, it becomes much bigger than any of them expected it to be.
For such a massive party though, its appeal pales in comparison. The film offers little originality.
It’s placed in a crowded genre which consists of movies marketed at juvenile guys who somehow find entertaining value in cheaply-made movies whose central themes involve sex, drugs and partying. Some movies, like “The Hangover,” can get away with that. “Project X,” however, can’t. Strangely enough, the man responsible for the success of “The Hangover,” Todd Phillips, is actually the producer for “Project X.”
The jokes seem like they are recycled from every Raunch-Com movie in the past.
And when you’re a comedy that fails to deliver laughter, you better have at least some substance with your plot and characters. “Project X” doesn’t have that either.
Costa, played by Cooper, is probably one of the most annoying characters you’ll come across in recent cinema history. He’s a poor man’s version of Jonah Hill.
You’ll get tired of him within the first 30 seconds of the film. All Costa talks about is overindulging himself with drugs and trying to be with as many females as possible.
“Project X” would have been slightly better if it weren’t filmed in the cinema verite style, also known as found-footage, which is the use of a camera usually by a character in the story to film events in a documentary format. In fact, the character filming the events, Dax (Dax Flame), doesn’t even play an integral part in the movie. He is rendered almost useless.
“Project X” doesn’t have a glaring strength except in its soundtrack, which features many popular artists such as Kid Cudi, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Far East Movement.
But that’s it. “Project X” is a movie that should be avoided at all costs. Not only is the content filled with cruel and insensitive debauchery, but it’s also possibly even more cruel for the filmmakers to profit from such a horrible movie.
