The Anniversary Party

R

Released Jun 24, 2001

1 hr. 55 min.

Comedy

LGBTQ+

List

61%

114 Reviews

Tomatometer

57%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In the next 24 hours, Joe (Alan Cumming) and Sally Therrian's (Jennifer Jason Leigh) roller-coaster marriage will go through an unexpected transformation - witnessed and abetted by their closest friends at an anniversary party that will not soon be forgotten. As the party games grow serious, what becomes clear is that Joe and Sally stand on the precipice of change, asking the questions facing all modern relationships.

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Critics Consensus

This Party features a killer cast and many funny scenes, but the movie feels like nothing more than an excuse for the actors to emote.

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John A

A bit of an experimental film written and directed by two actors that also serve as the main characters. The length is one of the main issues on top of the whole thing feeling like it's some kind of exercise for a collective of significant actors.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

05/04/23

Full Review

Steve D

Not my taste but it is well acted and has a fantastic cast doing some of their best work.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Quite honestly, the movie & cast was great... Leigh & Cumming were quite capable as actor/directors.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

"The Anniversary Party" is an acting movie more than it is anything else, and that distinction is both its downfall and the very thing that keeps it slightly interesting for its length. In it, we are invited to the eponymous gathering, which is celebrating the six year wedding anniversary of Joe (Alan Cumming) and Sally (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Joe is an established writer in the process of beginning a film adaptation of one of his novels, and Sally is an actress whose career has been hot for a number of years but has recently begun stalling. They cannot necessarily say that their marriage is completely blissful, though: problems have risen due to infidelities (a couple having to do with Joe's bisexuality), career troubles, and distrust. But they're trying to make it work, this anniversary party coming at the tail end of a prolonged separation. They figure honoring their relationship could do them some good. But like any party only being attended by a handful of guests, many of them being old friends and secret lovers, there is a tension we quickly can see invisibly brewing in the air. This characteristic is especially noticeable after Joe invites Skye Davidson (Gwyneth Paltrow), a young actress, to the festivities; she is the woman, it seems, that will be playing the part based off Sally in Joe's upcoming film. A smooth move by Joe, to be sure. And so, like we'd expect in a film made solely as an acting exercise, the party grows increasingly haughty, emotions growing more and more blazing as it wears on. And after Skye gives Sally and Joe ecstasy for a present and gets everyone in the house higher than a kite, we can be sure that things won't be ending prettily. Eruptions, passionate monologues, and revelations will ensue. This isn't a party anyone's going to forget about. "The Anniversary Party" is also written, directed, and produced by leading stars Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming, who decided to become co-filmmakers after working together and finding themselves to be an artistic partnership made in heaven. And for what "The Anniversary Party" is, their endeavor is mostly successful - the tension is very much believable, the dialogue cutting, the characters written with enough dimension to keep an ensemble of this size busy instead of wasted on meandering material. It sets out to be a soul sister of the films of Cassavetes, and maybe even a quasi-homage to "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," if I'm going for broad comparison. It's the kind of film made by artists who want to try their hand at something more difficult than what they're used to. So we're relieved that Leigh and Cumming are adroit as filmmakers and not just actors looking to spend their time helming a vanity project. Shot on digital and featuring a cast mostly comprised of old co-stars, the film is believable in its portrayal of an uncomfortable anniversary party. But while I'm in admiration of its simplicity, and the way it is a sturdy writing/directing debut for Leigh and Cumming, I never found myself considering "The Anniversary Party" to be anything more than a good excuse for everyone involved to get together and show off their chops - it's an exercise more than it is something great, and that feeling is inescapable. Still, it accomplishes what it wants to achieve decently well, and Leigh and Cumming aren't some wannabes unsure of what direction to take the film.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

william s

After all the speeches and pomp and circumstance,what the hell do we really have here?

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This film is more engraved in my mind because of the girl i took to which it than the actual movie itself. Marine & i went to watch this film & boy we were so young back then & as the film went on we touched hands & had a shy kiss if i remember correctly... i might have been 15 or 16 and it was the beginning of dating and all that for me.... so yep i remember the film but it wasn't a great film, just a nice comedy about a bunch of friends going through phases and drama during a party when everyone is high on drugs.... Interesting but not tremendously indispensable.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

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Jennifer Jason Leigh

Director

Alan Cumming

Director

Alan Cumming

Joe Therrian

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Sally Therrian

Steven Freedman

Yoga Instructor

Clara Demedrano

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

Leigh and Cumming prove to be adept writers and, like many actors-turned-directors, are excellent at eliciting fine performances from their fellow thespians.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jun 19, 2003

Full Review

Kimberley Jones

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 3.5/5

Mar 10, 2003

Full Review

Globe and Mail

Rated: 2/4

Mar 22, 2002

Full Review

Amy Bracken Sparks

Cleveland Free Times

The dialogue feels real, full of assumptions and faux pas, often painful and awkward.

Oct 26, 2021

Full Review

Joanne Laurier

World Socialist Web Site

Leigh and Cumming are somewhat disgruntled members of the Hollywood scene who have not deeply worked out a critique. The film lacks sufficient anger at the current state of affairs and, more generally, a strong purposefulness.

Mar 5, 2021

Full Review

Stacie Hougland

Hollywood.com

Rated: 1/5

Nov 20, 2008

Full Review

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Synopsis

In the next 24 hours, Joe (Alan Cumming) and Sally Therrian's (Jennifer Jason Leigh) roller-coaster marriage will go through an unexpected transformation - witnessed and abetted by their closest friends at an anniversary party that will not soon be forgotten. As the party games grow serious, what becomes clear is that Joe and Sally stand on the precipice of change, asking the questions facing all modern relationships.

Director: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Alan Cumming
Screenwriter: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Alan Cumming
Distributor: Fine Line Features
Production Co: Ghoulardi Film Company, Pas de Quoi, Fine Line Features
Rating: R (Language|Drug Use|Nudity)
Genre: Comedy, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 24, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.1M
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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