Neil's Party

A British teen-movie that shows an English take on "American Pie"? Surely not, but yes, this film from a talented team of young filmmakers has achieved it.

With all the gloss that usually marks a Hollywood movie, this film brings back many of my memories of growing up in small-town England, the anxieties of meeting (or not meeting!) girls. It cleverly captures the tensions of growing up in a small market town, where there are limited opportunities to meet new people, and yet you are reluctant to become involved with people you went to school with. Although Neil's Party has an underlying poignancy, it is very funny, with some excellent one-liners, and a number of ribald situations that had me rolling in the aisles.

And of course, no teen movie is complete without some sex; Neil's Party has plenty of sexy situations, with some beautiful girls. The focus of Neil's adoration, and his fantasies, is the beautiful Lauren (played by Lauren Bigby – definitely a girl to watch for the future). The movie gains considerably from using a cast of young up-and-coming actors, who bring a freshness to the picture by virtue of being new and unknown faces – surely they will not remain unknown for long.

For viewers who have not been to England, this movie will show the Brits and middle England in a new light; for Brits abroad, it will conjure up those anxious, carefree days when the sun always shone, and the main worry was how to get laid.

This is not an art-house movie; it's young, fresh and great fun; see it.

Watched this movie after getting home late from work and was great to unwind too. Its a low budget movie and so wasn't expecting too much, but it's well made and I was pleasantly surprised with its quirky Brit humor. Also, it happily doesn't seem to take itself too seriously which is a nice change these days (probably because it's British i guess). I didn't recognize the actors but they seemed to do a good job, same with the director and filmmakers and i even watched some of the extras afterwards which were quite interesting and well put together. It was a bit like American Pie at times but it was OK, i think the Brit accents helped it seem fresh and different enough. Definitely a film for fans of American Pie and those types of comedies.

How many times have I told myself not to watch UK movies? Plenty. This time, however, I didn't pay close attention to the country that produced this movie. "Fortunately," I didn't get to wait long to recognize the putrid ingredients in this poorly cooked slice of a British Pie movie. The flavor of the jokes here totally smells as if they have been picked up and placed on a plate straight from a men's toilet left full after an American party. The guys spoke too much like the blondest social butterflies where they didn't have to and would frigidly say nothing in the parts where I so expected them to open their mouth. The girls had no spice either: they must have been hand-picked by the worst looks in the pool of extras. Choose a movie. Choose a review. Choose where to watch it. But why would anyone want to watch a movie like this?

Although I am many years away from my teens, this gem of a film took me back to my own quivering youth growing up just outside London in the late forties and early fifties. Times may have changed but human beings still need to "get it right" (especially exploding teens). A young fresh cast, all unknown to me, were absolutely delightful, it wouldn't be fair to pinpoint just one or two, so my kudos go out to all of them. I predict fine things for them. Their collective contributions guided by a fine director and a script that certainly delivered the goods was top notch. The Film just carried me along on a super ride and one I can heartily recommend to my friends (of all ages. Cheers to a wonderful team in front and behind the camera. Here's to your next one !.

I had the pleasure of catching a sneak preview of Neil's Party last summer when it was shown during the SweetHD event at the Edinburgh Festival. What a little gem of a teen comedy, and from an English production team already! Although a low-budget effort by US standards it really goes to show how you can stretch a buck...er, well, pound then, when there's a neat idea and enthusiastic artistes behind you. The young cast managed to bring a welcome freshness to their roles & the guys in particular really nailed the snappy one-liners to the mast. Shan't spoil the best gag in the film, sufficed to say the Farrelly Brothers now have some fresh competition. The look of the film was also a welcome change from the usual 'grim, gritty' fare we get in the indie UK market - it was all snappy, clean colours and bright high-key scenery. Although this was a work in progress back when, I gather the production team have finished post-prod and the film is now with a US sales agent. Keep an eye out for this one on the VHS/DVD shelves; well worth a look-see if you're tired of the UK faux-gangster genre now swamping the known world.