Customer Reviews

Party Monster [VHS]

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

It looks like the lovable little boy from "Home Alone" has grown up. Macaulay Culkin is now in his early 20s and stars in this outrageous and rather sick story of Michael Alig, a real-life club kid of the early 1990s, who is now serving a long prison term for murder. This 2003 film is not only his story, it is also the story of a time and a place and a world that it no more. It's about parties and fantasy outfits and the shock value of indeterminate gender.. But mostly, it's about a drug culture that catered to these party people, and how it destroyed Alig's life. Culkin does an outstanding acting job in the role, bringing a touch of humanity to the character as well as a great deal of ego and evil.

Based on a book entitled "Disco Bloodbath" by James St. James, who actually lived through these years, the author is a major character in the story. Seth Green is cast in this role and plays it to the hilt, a party person who likes to play but stops short of the excesses that push Alig over the edge. The rest of the cast is full of some of real party people, with Marilyn Manson playing a drag queen.

One of the scary things about this film is how real it feels. The small subculture of partygoers search for thrills, their makeup and clothing screaming for attention. Their brains are addled with drugs and their purpose in life is only to draw attention to themselves. It's fame without substance or meaning and its all mindless. But, with the exception of the Culkin character, their carryings on doesn't really harm anyone but themselves.

I didn't expect to like this film. I almost shut it off after the first 15 minutes. However, it was so intense that I just kept watching. And I was eventually swept into the story and the people and the world that it depicted, a colorful bubble world which inevitably burst and is no more. This film recalls that bubble, including all the horror as well as the fun. Recommended.

There really is a Michael Alig and he really is doing time for beating his boyfriend's brains out with a hammer and then, just for good measure, injecting Drano into his veins. (Note that the folks at Drano claim it won't hurt your pipes but say nothing about your circulatory system.)

Though this nightmarish tale is based on a true story, the thrust of it is a surreal view of human emptiness and superficiality, a point most reviewers seem to miss. The Andy Warhol "Factory" set the stage for manufactured people who looked like they might be interesting but were in fact fabricated non-entities, ciphers. That was Warhol's genius, making nothing look like something. The wave of club kids depicted in this movie are just the next generation of thoroughly empty thrill-seekers, gripping onto instant pleasure and making sure to stay one step ahead of fashion. That there is no character insight IS the character insight, that is the point of these little monsters. They are the most extreme manifestation of our hedonism and shallowness.

All of this is revealed by Macaulay Culkin as Alig, who gives a performance that is heroic, fearless, mesmerizing, and chilling all at once. Culkin inhabits Alig, which must have been haunting and sad. He plays Alig as a staggeringly insecure hayseed whose determination to get "inside" is awe-inspiring. Once inside, he becomes grandiose, cruel, and mad, peddling ever faster to maintain the manic illusion of happiness. Culkin's performance could not have soared so high without Seth Green next to him. Green, first in the role of mentor, presents a scaled down version of the same obsession with superficiality, but, amusingly, seems to know it. Increasingly bitter because of Alig's ascent, he nonetheless maintains a certain amount of concern. This is the closest you will come to a human emotion in the film.

On its face one would say that this movie had nothing going for it. The people are repulsive, one must contain one's glee when they self-destruct. The protagonist has absolutely no redeeming qualities. The side of society it illuminates is miserably sad and important only to the extent that it illustrates the illnesses of society at large. And yet, with all that, it is spellbinding viewing. Certainly Culkin's powerhouse performance explains some of it, maybe the rest is attributable to our sheer amazement that such people exist. Be warned, you'll need a strong stomach for this, we're talking Drano, not Pepto.

"Party Monster" the movie draws from James St. James' book "Disco Bloodbath" and from film shot for the "Party Monster" shockumentary. The "Party Monster" movie purports to tell the tale of the rise and fall of Michael Alig, using trained actors and screenwriters. There would be adjustments to the story to suit the film market. The results of this are mixed.

Some pieces worked well.

Strengthening the James St. James part (played by Seth Green) brought a hazy character from the shockumentary close to the center of the film. James becomes the drug-addled conscience of the movie. (There is an offsetting loss of Angel Melendez's brother, Johnny, the hero of the shockumentary.)

Using real Club Kids and their actual costumes helped bring enthusiasm and energy to the film.

The Peter Gatien character (Dylan McDermott) was more of a presence in the film than in the shocumentary, giving more background on the economics of hosting the Club Kids.

The role of drugs in Alig's downfall was made clearer in the movie.

There was a downside too.

I just can't believe this Michael Alig (played by Macaulay Culkin) would be able to convice Peter Gatien to give him a chance. The real Michael Alig of the shockumentary (charismatic even behind bars) had the charm and drive to pull it off.

While frequently showing Michael Alig, James St. James and others camping it up, the film takes too much care not to show Michael Alig acting on his homosexual drives. On his way to giving a first date kiss to DJ Keoki (Wilmer Valderrama) inside a garbage dumpster (don't ask), the camera cuts to skyrockets. Michael and James dance once and touch carefully, but that's all. In the shockumentary, Michael is arrested at his new boyfriend's place in New Jersey. In the movie he and girlfriend gitsie (Chloe Sevigny) take a bubble bath together, deep kiss, and are spooning as the police arrive. Mustn't frighten the audience.

The death, disposal, and investigation of Angel Melendez (Wilson Cruz) were more complete and understandable in the shockumentary, although the film showed enough for me. Freez was scarier in the shockumentary. Cruz did a convincing job.

Michael Alig has skin shots; there are discrete skin flashes from some Club Kids.

There is an ok directors' commentary and brief actor interviews.

If you really want to know what happened, read the book or see the shockumentary. If you want to see a focused story, this movie is all right. Also, if you like Seth Green here, take a look at "The Attic Expeditions."

McCauley Culkin received some bad reviews for his portrayal of Michael Alig. I might pose that those reviewers are unfamiliar with how over-the-top club kids were in the 80's. What has been construed as bad acting is really an excellent parrotting of bad living. The slow and subtle progression from all fun and games to madness and horror was excellently done and I think this is an excellent, honest chronicle.

I LOVED this film. I knew of Alig and had seen "Party Monster-The Shockumentary" and wanted more. Well, "Party Monster" delivered.

Mackauly Culkin and Seth Green have both received scathing reviews of their portrayal of the wacky Club Kids Michael Alig and James St. James. They have been called plastic, over the top, and just plain too queer. Well, what better describes these two real-life larger than life characters? The actors' affected, stiff portrayals are a brilliant interpretation of the constant theatre put on by such infamous Club Kids. I used to be annoyed by Culkin, but after this, and "Saved" he has joined his brother Kieran at the top of my list of great actors. I can even forgive Seth Green his MTV affiliation after this performance.

To continue, the casting was sublime and Marilyn Manson was a stroke of genius to fill the sparkling platform shoes of Christina. The costuming was dead-on and avoided looking too "Hollywood" by maintaining that home-made quality to the outfits that were originally fashioned by broke kids. The soundtrack was appropriate but never obvious, a trap many 1980's period films fall into. The script was funny, objective, shocking and even touching at times. The cinematography was well done and I especially enjoyed the film angles in the hotel room bathroom and out of the rat's hole.

In short, I loved it.
Favorite line: "That's not a crack hole, it's a rat hole. Rats on crack attack!"

Seth Green is perhaps the finest comedic actor working. He carried this movie. Macauly Caulkin tries way too hard to mimic Michael Alig's physical and vocal mannerisms, but doesn't quite pull it off. It is just that - plain mimicry. I have seen the original "Shockumentary" and I have to say Seth Green's take on James St. James is nothing short of incredible. The odd cadence in his speech, and that weird nasally way he speaks. It's just amazing how Green literally becomes St. James. This film was largely ignored by the public, and critics didn't take much of a shine to it either. The subject matter either too bizarre, or maybe just not bizarre enough...who knows. I go back and forth when trying to decide which I like best, the original documentary ( which is great ) or the film. There are actual Laugh Out Loud comedic moments in the film, even though most of the humour is a little on the dark side. But there is something about the documentary that brings me back to it again and again. I just can't stop watching it. The Shockumentary, by the same duo that made The Eyes of Tammy Faye, I would give a 5 star rating. The film, I give 4 stars.

This is the movie that stars Macaulay Culkin as Michael Alig, the Midwestern boy who moved to New York City with big dreams of stardom. It all ended horribly in debauchery, drugs, and death. (Not his, though.)

Macaulay Culkin got horrible reviews for his portrayal as Alig, but I seriously believe that anyone that gave him a bad review obviously is not familiar with the real story at all. I've seen countless interviews with Michael Alig and I think Mac nailed his personality dead-on. Alig had a larger-than-life persona, very fake, superficial, and selfish. He helped create a bizarre late 80's phenomenon called The Club Kids. The Club Kids were a group of twenty-somethings that dressed up in homemade costumes, plastered themselves with make-up (some of who looked like they stepped right out of Kabuki Theater by way of a major acid trip), and spent their nights clubbing. They became known on a national level when their frequent appearances on talk shows like Geraldo, Phil Donahue, and Sally Jessy Raphael became some of the highest rated episodes ever for those shows. The movie is based on the book "Disco Bloodbath" which was written by Alig's co-Club Kid James St. James (brilliantly portrayed by Seth Green in the movie).

The directors of the movie, Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, directed a 1998 documentary about Michael Alig which was also called "Party Monster." Anyone that watches the movie should watch the documentary (which is also out on DVD) first. The movie also stars Chloe Sevigny, Wilson Cruz (from one of my all time favorite TV shows, "My So-Called Life"), Wilmer Valderrama, Natasha Lyonne, Diana Scarwid (from "Mommie Dearest"!!!), Dylan McDermott, and Marilyn Manson (whose part really is just a glorified cameo).

I guess the reason why I was so interested in this movie is because I was always completely glued to the TV whenever The Club Kids were on a talk show. They were this huge train wreck that was just SO entertaining to watch. Michael Alig wound up murdering, out of self defense, fellow Club Kid Angel over drug money. He chopped up Angel's body, stuck it all in a TV box, and dropped it in a river. There's even footage on the documentary where Michael admits to killing Angel before he was ever accused or arrested, not thinking that anyone would ever take him seriously. He was so zonked out on drugs, it was just impossible for him to think clearly.

The movie is by no means a GREAT movie, but it is good- and certainly doesn't deserve the horrible reviews that it received. I suppose that in order to be a great movie, it should be able to stand on its own. "Party Monster" probably won't do that for every single person that watches it. If you like the actors or are interested in and/or remember The Club Kids, you'll more than likely enjoy this dark movie. Like I said, you need to be familiar with the back story and the documentary to probably really appreciate it. It's also rather low budget, but I think they did a pretty good job with the set design and costumes. A lot of the original Club Kids are extras in the flick, so that adds a certain amount of authenticity.

Anyone that only thinks of "Home Alone" when they think of Macaulay Culkin will be surprised by his performance. I give his perfomance two big thumbs up.

There are many worse ways you could spend 99 minutes. It's a fine movie and by that I mean good....ish, Macaulay Culkin and Seth Green are really excellent and it shows that Seth Green has huge variety in his acting capabilities. The movie however really focuses on Culkin's and Green's characters rather that the disposed or disposal of the drug dealer. (And to emphasise that point, I can't even remember his name!) But that's probably because those character are more entertaining - which is fine but I felt as a result the murder of a young man was trivialised or made light of in some way.
Far from a cautionary tale because of the way it glorifies the drug world, (even though it does show the `downs' - just not as much as the `ups') this movie is for entertaining and it somewhat achieves that goal.

Not a must for ones collection but worth a look. Get a friend to buy it!

this movie is so interesting & different. i was mesmerized by the club kids outfits & attitudes. both caulkin & green are fantastic in this flick. as soon as i finished watching this movie i immediately played it again. and again.

This movie is out of this world. Seth and Mac are flawless in this movie and really play both people very well. After watching this you will want to go get wacked, get glittered out, go to a club, and read the books. Do yourself a favor if your a fan of te club scene, club scene movies, drug movies and true stories at that get this movie!