“Party Movies”

The Last Days of Disco – Whit Stillman (1998)

What’s not to love about a party movie? All the better when the film captures not just the party, but the spirit of a particular time and place. The Last Days of Disco takes place in New York in the late 80’s during (you guessed it!) the waning days of the disco scene.

Chloë Sevigny and Kate Beckinsale star as Hampshire grads working poorly paid publishing jobs, living in a ramshackle apartment. Chris Eigerman is excellent as Des McGrath, the sardonic manager of a club they frequent.

Stillman has a knack for writing witty repartée and his wry humor is one of the film’s many highlights. The soundtrack is good enough to stand on its own.

The Great Beauty – Paolo Sorrentino (2013)

The opening scene of The Great Beauty features one of the greatest party scenes in all of cinema. Toni Servillo (Gomorrah) stars as Jep Gambardella, an aging socialite who once wrote a famous novel. That was forty years ago. Jep spends most of his time wandering around Rome and attending dinner parties—he can’t help but partake in a few discreet liaisons along the way.

There are echoes and murmurs of other great works of Italian Cinema (La Dolce Vita, La Notte) but these are handled tastefully. The Great Beauty pays homage without stooping to imitation.

The Great Beauty is like James Bond for those who’d prefer the cars, the clothes, and the girls  without the violence—you can’t help but walk out of the theatre wishing you were Jep Gambardella. 

Dedicated to Paul (Great Beauty) and Sebastian (Whit Stillman films)