Review of The Anniversary Party (2001) by Karrie D — 23 Apr 2008

Everything about The Anniversary Party is pretty much brilliant, except for the stuff that's not, which is most of it. In this way, it's like many other movies, except here the actors have taken over the asylum.

Maybe it's that once you put a certain amount of wind across a picture you need someone on the ground holding the string to make it fly, kite-like, to the heart. Or maybe we're too accustomed to crushed and tenderized stylized pictures to let a chewy one pass easily across the palate. In any case, the subtlety in the performances here is wonderful, and it truly is an actors' picture. There's so much nuance and meat that we might almost be at the party with Sally and Joe, and there's enough Film 101 structure and technique to bring us in and smartly move us along. Leigh and Cumming even take the open risk of giving us leads that we're not much going to like. It's all very admirable.

What's missing, though, is someone looking past the actors, showing us the stars - which is ironic, since that's the idealized Hollywood crap that ruins so many pictures that are nearly great. The Anniversary Party makes the same mistakes, looking down the other end of the telescope. It's a perfect storm, but it's in a chafing dish, and though I really want to shake its hand, I don't much want to kiss it goodnight. If you know what I mean.

Also, and this is here nor there, I fell in love with Mina Badie about five times during the course of this film. I know you needed to know that. Also also, the commentary is worth watching, if you like that sort of thing.