The Party

Play trailer

2:11

The Party

R

2018

1h 11m

Comedy

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

162 Reviews

62%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

A comedy of tragic proportions.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Old-fashioned charm meets sharp wit and modern social satire in The Party, a biting comedy carried by a shining performance from Patricia Clarkson.

Read Critics Reviews

Roxana Hadadi

Pajiba

This would have worked better as a play, probably, because the setting is so sparse, the performances so compact, and the dialogue so forceful.

May 7, 2018

Full Review

Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

We're in great company and the story's physical confines don't restrict its range or ambitions. As well as dissecting a 30-year marriage, Potter's script takes in the state of Britain today.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 11, 2018

Full Review

Cary Darling

Houston Chronicle

There are moments, mostly in the latter half, when the ensemble works well together and Thomas, especially, gets to shine as her world falls apart. But these elements aren't enough to justify attending this "Party."

Rated: 2.5/5

Mar 2, 2018

Full Review

Anne Brodie

AWFJ.org

Sally Potter's scathing social satire The Party, shot in black and white in three claustrophobic rooms is a gem, and thankfully short given the compression of nerves and tears and emotion.

Nov 30, 2021

Full Review

Cynthia Fuchs

AWFJ.org

What The Party does best is to expose your own efforts to interpret, to know, to be aware of what's at stake.

Nov 30, 2021

Full Review

Moira Sullivan

AWFJ.org

These have significance for each of the scenes and are inseparable from the images. With the exception of a British anthem, the selections are recorded by international artists - arias, ballads, jazz and rhythm and blues, ska, and tango.

Nov 30, 2021

Full Review

Read all reviews

Christina C.

The ending gave the two stars. Other than that it reminded me of a Mamet movie like a stage play. Didn’t hold my attention.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/09/25

Full Review

Osamah A.

Watching this film, I had the impression that it would be a heavily scripted dramatic movie. However, it turned out to be quite different. At times, it was funny, while at others, it was simply easygoing.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/21/25

Full Review

John F

Perhaps missing something but overall is pretty good given the fine performances. Perhaps wanted to see Murphy more on screen but Spall makes up for it with a hilarious and yet complicated performance.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/02/25

Full Review

Aidan B

While there were elements to enjoy and plenty of great twists along the way, "The Party" is an overall dull and oftentimes boring film that never really feels like it's trying to get anywhere.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/22/24

Full Review

Alec B

It's like Potter staged only Act 2 of a decent play, revelations abound but we aren't invested in any of them. One hell of cast can't make up for the weak characters

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/05/24

Full Review

Dax D

A really complicated movie and needs patience to get to the end. The pacing was slow but still kept me thrilled.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/27/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Sally Potter

Director

Patricia Clarkson

April

Bruno Ganz

Gottfried

Cherry Jones

Martha

Emily Mortimer

Jinny

Cillian Murphy

Tom

Ingrid Goes West

84%

71%

Ingrid Goes West

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Ingrid Goes West

Perfectos desconocidos

80%

64%

Perfectos desconocidos

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Perfectos desconocidos

The Belly of an Architect

85%

80%

The Belly of an Architect

Watchlist

The Last Word

40%

64%

The Last Word

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Last Word

The Favourite

93%

71%

The Favourite

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Favourite

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The Party: Trailer 1

2:11

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

A comedy of tragic proportions.

Director: Sally Potter
Producer: Christopher Sheppard, Kurban Kassam
Screenwriter: Sally Potter
Distributor: Roadside Attractions
Production Co: Adventure Pictures, Copenhagen Film Fund, Oxwich Media
Rating: R (Language and Drug Use)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 16, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 10, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $748.9K
Runtime: 1h 11m
Aspect Ratio: IMAX (Scope (2.35:1))

Most Popular at Home Now