Punks and Aliens Learn How to Talk to Girls at Parties
How to Talk to Girls at Parties
Directed by John Cameron Mitchell
Written by Philippa Goslett and John Cameron Mitchell
The review:
Having gone into this film without knowing anything about it, I was surprised when a cute film about three kids into punk music took a very galactic turn.* While I found a lot of the alien stuff to be focused on worries of straight fourteen-year-old boys, I thought all the alien set decoration was very fun, especially when compared to the punks.** I don’t think this movie holds together very well, but it’s interesting to look at, I enjoyed both Fanning and Sharp, and there was a recurring joke about the alien music I found amusing.***
The verdict: Good?
(There were just enough elements to push this from Skip to Good, but it’s barely over the line. Proceed with caution.)
Cost: free via Hoopla, one of Multnomah County Library’s streaming services.
Where watched: at home
Consider also watching:
- Teen Spirit (a serviceable movie about music set in Britain and starring Ellen Fanning.)
- Starman
- Side note: this film is currently ranked #15 on the IMDB List “Most Popular Alien Disguised As Human Movies and TV Shows”
- And, I have no other suggestions.
Further sentences:
*I found my way to this film because I enjoyed Alex Sharp in The Hustle and this was an easily accessible film he starred in, plus I like Elle Fanning. The summary of the film begins, “An alien touring the galaxy breaks away from her group and meets…” Had I read that before watching, I would have been prepared for the strange alien turn. Because I was not, I was probably more amused at this film than I would have been.
**Or, for that matter, Enn’s home.
***Ethan Lawrence describing the aliens’ music at the record shop and to a DJ cracked me up.
Questions:
- What’s your favorite human/alien film?
- You’ve just watched this film. Do you think you wasted your time?
- Have you read Neil Gaiman’s original short story on which this was based? How do the two compare?
Favorite IMDB trivia item:
American DJ James Murphy developed a new genre for the soundtrack, described as “extraterrestrial dance music”.
Other reviews of How to Talk to Girls at Parties:
- Nikola Grozdanovic, The Playlist
- Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly
