Review of Party Monster (2003) by Dan G — 14 Sep 2012

Like the Club Kids themselves this film seems to serve only as an uncontrollably loud and attention grabbing distraction; with it's gratuitous sex, drugs, bright colours and shiny things, Party Monster is a grotesquely synthetic 'cinematic' experience.

As Macaulay Culkin's first film since 1994s Richie Rich, this film was always going to turn a few heads. His first 'adult' role was certainly going to be of interest to many, unfortunately Culkin jumps in a little too deep and we don't see him resurface. Portraying the club promoter, drug addict and murderer Michael Alig, Culkin invariably struggles to convince us of any screen presence. After his six year absence we can safely presume that this was a role which Culkin was hoping would reinvent his acting career.

With Seth Green riding passenger we see a glimmer of hope, but with Culkin firmly in the driving seat the film struggles to let us engage, leaving us feeling distant, a mere voyeur to a spectacle so false and lacking of any substance.