There are a fair share of so called “teenage movies” out there. The ones with booze and crazy parties and, you know, the works. Among this family are films such as Superbad, Animal House, and if you forget the teen element, The Hangover. The latest installment to this fraternity of films (see what I did there?) is Project X, the generically titled film about three lousy kids who throw a crazy party. And that’s it.

The movie centralizes on three main males; the skinny one with few friends (Thomas), the chubby jerk (Costa), and the sidekick, weight not specified (JB). This certainly isn’t a bad thing. The formula is tried and true, evidenced by the movies mentioned above. But the characters are about as original as the movie title, which doesn’t help at all in becoming immersed in the party. which is played up so much that at a point the movie gets plain ridiculous.

Let’s talk about the party itself, the meat of the movie. Project X delivers in many ways. Blasting music, crazy stunts, and an unfathomable number of people all combine to make the party just plain fun, which is what the movie is all about. But it’s played up so much that at a point the movie just gets plain ridiculous. It think it was probably the time Thomas got on the roof and flipped off swarming news helicopters as the thousand or so people cheered him on. Now that’s a party.

Some people have compared Project X to The Hangover. One reviewer even said it was “Like The Hangover on crack.” I would say steroids. At first, it seems like a great idea, but then you realize the… consequences, and it’s just not as good as you thought it would be.

One thing’s for sure: this movie is at the very boundaries of the R rating. Sex, nudity, drugs, alcohol, rock and roll/worshipping Satan are all present here. Okay maybe not the last one. But all of these things that are terrible for teenagers are here and are the fuel for the party. I’m not saying this hasn’t happened before in a movie, but Project X is targeted specifically at teenagers and teaches them that getting high and drunk will always lead to the best party ever. I suspect many teens will fall prey to this marketing and get the wrong idea.

At first glance it may be easy to shrug off the movie and wait for something worthwhile, and you should probably follow that feeling. Crazy parties and questionable morals can be fun, but Project X feels too faked and forced to be all that immersing. Next time, avoid stuffing a midget into the oven.

LittleHawk Rating: 5/10