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The Party

Play trailer Poster for The Party Released Apr 4, 1968 1h 39m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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83% Tomatometer 24 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
While trying to tie his shoe, bumbling extra Hrundi V. Bakshi (Peter Sellers) unwittingly triggers explosives that destroy the set of an epic war film. The furious director tells executive Fred Clutterbuck (J. Edward McKinley) to fire him. Because of a misunderstanding, Bakshi instead mistakenly receives an invitation to an exclusive party at Clutterbuck's Hollywood mansion, where he proceeds to wreak havoc on partygoers as he stumbles through what will become the wildest night he's ever seen.
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The Party

Critics Reviews

View All (24) Critics Reviews
Sam Adams The Dissolve The film makes a strong argument for the liberating joys of disorder. Rated: 3.5/5 Sep 22, 2014 Full Review Nick Schager Lessons of Darkness Plays like leftovers from the Panther films. Rated: C May 4, 2005 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Edwards directs with economy for most of the way, but when the living room fills up with soapsuds and the elephant, he can't help lingering over the expensive scene he's produced. Rated: 3/4 Oct 23, 2004 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Designed as both a homage to silent comedy as well as an exercise in improvisation. Rated: 3/4 Jun 11, 2023 Full Review Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com An ode to the classic cinema of Keaton and Chaplin, Edwards' title is a light trifle, The Party a fun exercise for fans of Peter Sellers and Blake Edwards in their only non-Pink Panther union. Rated: 3/5 Nov 3, 2020 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews A few sight gags go over well and the satire sometimes hits the mark, but much of the film stalls with too many repetition accidents. Rated: B- Apr 20, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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King C Absolutely hilarious! One of Seller's bests and an absolute classic in my opinion. And for those complaining about his brownface portrayal of an Indian man, as an actor working in the industry for many many years now, myself may I simply say...THAT'S WHY IT'S CALLED ACTING! OUR WHOLE JOB IS TO CHALLENGE OURSELVES AND PUSH OURSELVES INTO AREAS WE'RE NOT COMFORTABLE/FAMILIAR WITH! Not to mention the film itself is hugely popular in India itself. Indira Ghandi herself was a massive fan of the film, particularly the portrayal of Hrundi by Sellers. So I feel that says quite a bit. Sure it may come across as an overly stereotypical portrayal at times with the make-up and especially the accent (which i will admit is, at times, not the most convincing), but that really shouldn't take away from the film. It's not like they made the character to be offensive/were trying to offend anybody. You have more right to be offended by the film if you are Indian yourself in my opinion (which is far more understandable) and, like I said, considering the film itself is huge in India, i see no real reason to let this portrayal take away from the appeal of the film, especially if you're not Indian like I am. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/01/24 Full Review Alec B I'll be charitable and call it "problematic" but if you can look past that, the movie does offer up a lot of enjoyable and influential comedic material (the scene with the toilet in particular is hilarious) plus I think the lack of of any real plot was the right choice here. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/10/24 Full Review steve d I wish I stayed home, Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Ruhaan A watched it a while ago. absolutely hilarious Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/19/22 Full Review Tony S An absolute classic. Great laughs for the whole family. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/31/22 Full Review Audience Member I don't enjoy leaving bad reviews to otherwise well received films, and especially to films with Peter Sellers. That man has been an amazing actor to some of the best films ever made, such as The Ladykillers, Lolita, The Pink Panther, Being There. But dear Lord Almighty was The Party boring. Boring, non-descript, mundane. The plot is so vague you could argue that it doesn't exist. The film is mostly incidental and experimental comedy and that must have been what killed it for me. The little plot that exists is about the misadventures of a goofy caricature of an Indian actor who is invited to a high class party and wreaks havoc. Without going into details, the few good things that this film had were some scenes, and especially the climax (probably the only scene I actually enjoyed in this "comedy"), the setting and the score that accompanies essentially the whole film. Also, Sellers' valiant effort to portray his character was most interesting and a little funny. Let's see the bad aspects of the film. The pacing for example, is atrocious. Despite its rather short runtime of 90 minutes, I felt like I was watching paint dry on a wall. Most characters are also boring, which further makes the experience painful. Most scenes were cringe inducing, but especially the bird cage scene made me lose my sh*t and start skipping the scenes. I literally felt the cringe run through my veins. Lastly, the comedy just isn't funny. I have seen a lot of old and new incidental comedies in the style of Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy that were light years better than this atrocity, mainly because of their attempt to bombard the viewer with actually funny scenes. This film right here feels like watching a theatrical play with a lot of dialogue that out of nowhere throws a single comical scene just to remind you that you are watching a comedy, then resorts to dialogue for the next 30 minutes. It just doesn't work. In the end, some aspects of the films, like a couple of actors, the climax and the soundtrack, cannot save this film from being a failure, I do not recommend. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Party

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Cast & Crew

The Party

The Party: Official Clip - Toilet Trouble The Party: Official Clip - Toilet Trouble 3:39 The Party: Official Clip - Injun Grip The Party: Official Clip - Injun Grip 1:44 The Party: Official Clip - Wyoming Bill The Party: Official Clip - Wyoming Bill 2:03 The Party: Official Clip - Telephone Call The Party: Official Clip - Telephone Call 1:55 The Party: Official Clip - A Good Laugh The Party: Official Clip - A Good Laugh 2:04 The Party: Official Clip - The Intercom The Party: Official Clip - The Intercom 1:30 The Party: Official Clip - The Bugler Who Wouldn't Die The Party: Official Clip - The Bugler Who Wouldn't Die 2:35 The Party: Official Clip - If the Shoe Floats The Party: Official Clip - If the Shoe Floats 4:00 The Party: Official Clip - Awkward Dance The Party: Official Clip - Awkward Dance 2:07 The Party: Official Clip - A Small Seat at the Table The Party: Official Clip - A Small Seat at the Table 1:08 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis While trying to tie his shoe, bumbling extra Hrundi V. Bakshi (Peter Sellers) unwittingly triggers explosives that destroy the set of an epic war film. The furious director tells executive Fred Clutterbuck (J. Edward McKinley) to fire him. Because of a misunderstanding, Bakshi instead mistakenly receives an invitation to an exclusive party at Clutterbuck's Hollywood mansion, where he proceeds to wreak havoc on partygoers as he stumbles through what will become the wildest night he's ever seen.
Director
Blake Edwards
Producer
Blake Edwards
Screenwriter
Blake Edwards, Tom Waldman, Frank Waldman
Production Co
Mirisch Corporation
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 4, 1968, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 16, 2008
Runtime
1h 39m
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