The Party's Just Beginning

2018

1h 31m

Drama

TRAILER

for The Party's Just Beginning: Trailer 1

List

80%

25 Reviews

Tomatometer

71%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

A woman struggles to come to terms with her best friend's suicide.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered May 28

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Rent The Party's Just Beginning on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

Critics Consensus

The Party's Just Beginning takes a bravely unorthodox dive into difficult themes -- and proves writer, director, and star Karen Gillan is a filmmaker to be reckoned with.

Read Critics Reviews

Andrei D

Needs more Lee Pace and some extra context

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/24

Full Review

Audience Member

A brave and well-made feature length directorial debut for Karen Gillan, The Party's Just Beginning features an abundance of subject matter and a somewhat scattershot approach toward it. It felt like the film was trying to address too many issues rather than selecting a few and giving them the necessary focus and development. It also becomes quite repetitive towards the end, when the film has apparently said all it has to say and now has no choice but to repeat its talking points so it can reach the required duration. What I did like about the film was its willingness to at least attempt to address issues such as drug abuse, alcoholism, PTSD and the difficulties in accepting who you are as a person. The acting is raw and the dialogue, while not ground-breaking by any means, feels like the way people actually talk. I'm interested to see what Gillan has in store for us in the future, and while this might not be the greatest debut, it's certainly a good start.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

Liam D

A deep and interesting character study This drama is a very heavy one so I won't recommend it to those aren't in the mood but it's still a great movie

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/10/21

Full Review

Audience Member

By far the worst thing I've ever seen Karen Gillam in. Honestly, it's an average party girl role that falls flat and just doesn't flatter Karen, any decently attractive Scottish (it's a Scottish film, accents in all, fair warning) woman could play and there's just nothing special too it: that even seems to be party of the movie's "lesson" at one point. That none of us are special and life sucks for everyone so you might as well make it worse (?). The title is also named after the date rape scene (fair warning, CAUSE I DIDN'T GET ANY). In the interest of being honest, I was only half paying attention because it was depressing and didn't make a lot of sense: it really seemed like 8 stories involving this one useless girl all strung together in some half ass fashion. It is always a bad sign for me when the best thing about a movie is an attractive lady. I didn't enjoy this, and I honestly don't know who is going to like this movie unless you're a depressed Scottish party-girl mourning the death of a friend that needs validation. I can only hope this helped / helps someone, somehow.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Some difficult themes that are dealt with unflinchingly. Heart breaking and real and (for me personally) all to relatable

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

An amazing film, made great by being Gillian's directorial and screenwriting debut. An account of raw grief, caught in all its pain and made beautiful and thought provoking. The encapsulation of being lost when we lose what is most important to us, yet, passion, grit and intelligence are never gone, allowing a tender and real acceptance to happen. It's so well crafted with many subtle and innovative techniques which draw us in and immerse us into this world, Set, with love, in her home town, it covers universal themes and provides both wit and wisdom. A film which burns brightly long after it fades from the screen. A completely unexpected gem and one which proves her huge talent isn't simply in acting. Cannot compliment this film high enough and will await any future work with bated breath. So rare to see such balanced, acute observations played out perfectly.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Karen Gillan

Director

Karen Gillan

Liusaidh

Lee Pace

Dale

Matthew Beard

Alistair

Paul Higgins

Liusaidh's Dad

Siobhan Redmond

Liusaidh's Mum

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

52%

30%

Sweet Dreams

100%

%

Familia sumergida

67%

%

Splinters

91%

67%

Asia

71%

%

A Perfectly Normal Family

TRAILER

for A Perfectly Normal Family

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The Party's Just Beginning: Trailer 1

1:54

View more videos

View more photos

Sophie Monks Kaufman

Empire Magazine

A strikingly odd and original debut that is admirable for taking the triple-threat of suicide, depression and addiction in its nonchalant stride, although the confusing presentation of separate timelines mutes the overall impact.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 2, 2019

Full Review

Cath Clarke

Guardian

I can't help thinking Gillan's superpower as a writer and performer might actually be comedy. Still, always a compelling screen presence, she's now a film-maker to watch.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 28, 2019

Full Review

Glenn Kenny

New York Times

Gillan plays her messy, mournful role with unfussy integrity.

Dec 6, 2018

Full Review

Nicolas Soto

But Why Tho? A Geek Community

With this being Gillan first feature film that she’s directed and wrote, I think she did a fantastic job.

Jan 22, 2023

Full Review

Dallas King

Flick Feast

[Gillan's] talent in front of the camera is already well known but the film reveals genuine talent behind it as well... tough subject matter for a first feature but she tackles it head on.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 11, 2022

Full Review

Andrew Murray

The Upcoming

A rich and devastatingly powerful story of grief and suffering, there is a lot to be taken from Gillan's outstanding directorial debut.

Rated: 5/5

Feb 2, 2021

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

A woman struggles to come to terms with her best friend's suicide.

Director: Karen Gillan
Producer: R. Andru Davies, Albert Gersten, Sloan Martin, Boman Modine
Screenwriter: Karen Gillan
Production Co: The Orchard
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 11, 2018
Runtime: 1h 31m

Most Popular at Home Now