The Anniversary Party

2001 "It's not a party until something gets broken."
6.3| 1h55m| R| en
Details

While celebrating their reconciliation and six years of marriage, the American actress Sally Nash and the British novelist Joe Therrian receive their close friends, some colleagues and their next door neighbors in a party. Under the effect of Ecstasy, revelations are disclosed and relationships deteriorate among the group.

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Reviews

Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.
ThiefHott Too much of everything
Kailansorac Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.
Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
vchimpanzee How bad was this movie? I tend to like chick flicks, especially comedies. This one wasn't that much of a comedy and may not have been primarily a chick flick. On the other hand, I don't like action movies with shooting and explosions unless they are comedies. For the two hours before this movie began, I was watching a dramatic film (few laughs) about a soldier going undercover to expose a colonel's demented form of justice. I liked that one better than this one.What positive things can I say about this movie? If I was going to write a user comment, the summary was going to be "At least the music was good". That was only true until about 4:30. The movie started at 4 and lasted until 6, and after 4:30 I heard only two songs I liked, one in the closing credits. Most of the music before 4:30 was big-band style jazz, or something related. I really enjoyed it.I suppose the friends reading poems and singing bad songs (the singers weren't great either) to honor the hosts was pleasant enough.I did like Skye. No wonder, it was Gwynyth Paltrow!Other than what I have said, I just found the whole thing unpleasant. For those who enjoy poetry and acoustic guitar accompanying meaningful lyrics at coffeehouses, and those who truly appreciate Woody Allen, and those who like independent films, and those who actually enjoy subtitles, I believe this might be a worthwhile movie. It seemed to have quality writing and acting, and of course lots of big-name actors, none of whom I would know just by seeing them. I didn't even know until five minutes ago that Gwynyth Paltrow was in it!This film just wasn't for me.
tjo-10 I saw this art-house gem last night for the first time and I really marveled at how much this film was like the art-house films made in the later 60's to mid-70's. It reminded me of the types of parties that the "cool" students parents used to have in that time period. You have to "listen" to this film for the language, rather that "watch" it for the action like a comic book movie or summer tentpole movie. It brought back memories of "Boys in the Band, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe", "A Delicate Balance", and "The Big Chill", all of which I saw during my college days at the Student Union. A film well done that was both happy and disturbing. That's how it should be.
jse126 I can't find much to say about this film. It was as dull as laundry day and filled with self important yet completely vapid people who cannot get along with anyone because they are all so concerned with themselves. They whine and moan and complain so much that after a while you'll feel like killing them all. It was made by Jennifer Jason Leigh, which to me is quite telling. This woman is regarded by many in Hollywood to be a great actress, which does in part explain why American movies are so awful. She is a dullard. Her name in the cast list of any movie is like a warning that a dull movie lies in store - and she MADE this one. I got the impression from the film that she thinks that it represents how people truly are and what "real life" is - but if for some reason she happens to be reading this, let me say emphatically to her that it does NOT. Of course it does paint a picture of her tragic little world of NY to LA movie types - but that is her problem, and there is a real life beyond Hollywood's artificial one (it's telling how these adults take Ecstacy, a kiddie drug that provides users with artificial emotions to go with their artificial lives). I do not want to be a part of that world and do not want to attend their parties, therefore I am sorry that I watched this. It might be a good wakeup call to anyone who dreams of movie stardom though. These people are so full of themselves because they are so empty of everything else. Actually I have to amend that statement - they are full of something else, though the twain may be hard to discern.This film, the type of people in it, and Jennifer Jason Leigh - they all deserve each other. I can't wait until Hollywood falls into the ocean.
Michael O'Keefe Written, produced and starring Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming. Joe(Cumming)and Sally(Leigh)throw a party to celebrate the ending of a year apart and their 6th wedding anniversary; and currently going through the motions of wanting to start a family and a move to London. Some of their closest friends past and present plus their neighbors are invited to this gathering. One of those attending is an actress(Gwyneth Paltrow)starring in Joe's novel turned into a movie. Sally is an actress herself and struggling with emotional matters. Friend Cal(Kevin Kline) and his wife(Phoebe Cates)are among the invitees.The party really starts to lose control at the get-go. Jealousies, politically incorrectness and bickering neighbors make the party awkward. As the party moves out to the pool and the mood elevating drug Ecstacy is passed around, diverse personalities watch this get-together spiral into confusion.This drama is also a cruel comedy and some may find this movie not even worth watching for two hours. I really enjoyed Leigh, but thought Cumming annoying as hell. Not really being a Paltrow fan...I found her very interesting. The cast also features: Parker Posey, Jennifer Beals, Jane Adams, Denis O'Hare and John C. Reilly.