The Party Animal has a video cover I remember from the shelf of my local library back in the 80’s. It popped up and I figured I would give it a go as I was in the mood for a raunchy, wacky comedy. An Animal House knock-off and I honestly wish I had not.
Pondo is a social misfit from the Alabama (complete with Dixie flag T-shirt) arriving at University with one mission, to get laid. He quickly meets Studley, and they somehow thye become best friends with Studley taking on the challenge of trying to anyone to sleep with Pondo. The story involves a series of sketches involving Studley suggesting a route to … score the heart of a young lady and Pondo takes things to the next level. Until Pondo unwittingly makes a pact with a mysterious female, his soul in exchange for a bit of lovin’.
The movie is not without merit, I’ll look at what is good first… shouldn’t take long. The opening and closing of the movie have a documentary approach as the cast describes the impact of the events depicted by Pondo in the story. It’s an interesting approach that avoids having a more typical narrative, allowing the story to jump about without consequence. Timothy Carhart, you’ll know him when you see him, came from this and it’s easy to see why, he’s terrific and well above the material (I guess you have to start somewhere.)
The soundtrack is excellent, featuring a number of tracks from The Buzzcocks, The Fleshtones and R.EM alongside The Untouchables who are seen jamming in the film. The film is well shot, there are frequent moments that feel like a music video displaying gorgeous women looking at the camera with no connection to the story, it’s a little like Sports Illustrated breaks to give the audience a rest from the story. The film needs this to gets the viewer through it.
Then there is everything else. The film is a juvenile mess with a complete lack of comedy. The humour comes from enlarging everything instead of creating comedic moments. If someone has spliff then it’s got to be a huge one, cause that’s funny! Someone has some cocaine then it’s a bucketful, because that’s funny! Someone has a dildo, lets make it a super-weapon sized rocket, cause that’s funny! The film is actually very rapey and women are merely the butt of the joke for male fantasy egos. Then there is the “fat chicks” jokes, one of which culminates the story!
The ladies generally just appear on a date with Pondo, whether that is being met at the door to go out with Pondo or actually in a bed as Pondo unleashes some over the top, grossly unfunny, toy that freaks them out or a potion that makes them into a gorilla or have chronic flatulence (this is so poorly handled I wonder if the actress even knew what was going on in the scene.) The setup is removed and the punchline is thrown at you in almost every occasion.
One of the biggest problems with the film is Pondo, or Matthew Causey. I can see there is potential with him, however, it’s not realised and his character just isn’t funny and is really a psychopath in the making. Initially, there is an appealing friendship like John Belushi and Tim Matheson in Animal House if Otter were to try to find Bluto a girlfriend, however, Pondo and therefore Causey is in no way comparable to the comedic heights Belushi would take Bluto to in Animal House.
Original director Harvey Hart, in his twilight years having directed many TV shows and TV movie, removed his name and writer David Beaird took over, reshooting huge amounts of the film. This explains a lot as there is a mish-mash of tones and only the hint of a clear narrative. I guess the moral of this story is to be careful what you wish for, although it might be that the film reaches this philosophy entirely by chance.
The Party Animal has moments that almost make it worth viewing, yet those moments are merely footage of beautiful women, looking lovely. There is quite a high percentage of the film dedicated to this, but that percentage is dwarfed by the stupidity in between. I like raunch to be a bit sexy, not rapey. I like wacky to be out there, not lost or pointless. Most of all, I like my comedies to be funny… this isn’t and doesn’t even come close.
There is a decent variation on the artwork, possibly in the hope to distance itself from prior releases and perhaps pick up unsuspecting, curious viewers who like frat house comedies.
MGM released this stateside on DVD a good few years back and there are plenty of copies in the wild. Some on Ebay are looking for obscene amounts, others not.
At any rate… don’t purchase it. It’s garbage.
