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Shot in black and white and clocking in at just over an hour, it is one of the more original movies coming out of the Berlinale. Several elements stand out, like the production design by Carlos Conti (37°2 le matin) with its odd, detached feeling bringing to the movie, but also the daring cinematography by Aleksei Rodionov (Idi I smotri, Orlando!) combined with good editing makes the movie work.

So nice work in all sectors, but basically it is the actors who have to carry through in this dark comedy, somewhat difficult to define: Third screwball, third Woody Allen, and a third Britcom but definitely with a style of its own.

Potter herself gave the best synopsis by calling it a movie about ideals and convictions getting tested in a crisis situation. The really good script lines are dispersed among the excellent cast, although I do have a weakness for the role of Timothy Spall, such a great and modest actor, gripping the movie from the start onwards.

Why not rate this higher? I think it lacks a really great ambition, it is a nice ensemble piece, but despite the good things feels somewhat empty, more entertainment than art. The sum of the parts just doesn't add up enough for me, which often means the difference between OK and excellent.

The middle-class dinner party in which the thin veneer of polite society is ripped away to expose the dog-eat-dog savagery underneath has provided ample fodder for playwrights since probably the birth of theatre, but films in which such a gathering is the sole focus are rarer. So step forward British auteur Sally Potter.

Having been appointed Shadow Minister for Health, Janet (Kristen Scott Thomas) and her husband Bill (Timothy Spall) throw a celebratory dinner party for their friends: the acerbic April (Patricia Clarkson) and (played by Bruno Ganz) her new age partner Gottfried ("prick an aromatherapist and you'll find a fascist" says April); lesbian professor Martha and her 'Masterchef' runner-up partner Jinny (Emily Mortimer), who is carrying their purchased foetuses ("babies are born every day, in large numbers - large enough to put our planet at risk" is April's unsentimental but accurate comment). Banker Tom (Cillian Murphy) arrives with his wife's apologies: she will be along later. Thus the stage is set, but when a champagne cork shatters a window it is an omen that this will be a dinner party none of the attendees will soon forget.

Trendy lefties who spend too much time thinking are an open goal when it comes to comedy, with their talk of 'post-post-feminism' and their professorships in Utopian Americanism, and Potter does not miss the target in her - I suspect affectionate - mickey-taking. There is nothing original in this - not even the 'twist' at the end - but the film is so entertaining that does not matter (with one exception: when banker Tom heads to the bathroom to snort cocaine I rolled my eyes - just once I would like to see a fictional young banker who *does not* have a coke habit: don't any of them simply put the kettle on?)

There is good acting all around: Clarkson gets all the best lines - albeit at the expense of depth of character - but that merely makes the others work harder with the lines they have been given. Thomas, whose character is the most fully-formed, is noteworthy.

At just over seventy minutes this is rather a short film. Quite why Potter decided to make it in black-and-white I do not know - extra filmsnob points I suppose. But it is hugely entertaining and I look forward to seeing it again. (After all, any film which lists in the credits 'production dog' *must* be good!)

A 71-minute movie in black-and-white seems a rather poor return on the price of a cinema ticket these days. The Party is a theatrical comedy - it would have to be half of a double bill on stage or perhaps better suited to a TV play. It's like a middle-class upgrading of THE ROYLE FAMILY relocated to somewhere like Hampstead or Swiss Cottage.

MP Janet (Kristin Scott Thomas) is hosting a drinks do to celebrate becoming a Shadow Minister (from sarcasm at Thatcher's expense we can safely infer that she is Labour). Her husband Bill (Timothy Spall) is weirded out after some bad news at the hospital. First guests to arrive are their best friend Patricia Clarkson (in uber-bitch overdrive) and partner Bruno Ganz, then a lesbian couple, then manic coke-snorting Cillian Murphy (at his dishiest), whose wife – though we never see her – provides all the drama. Infidelity (off-screen)is super-abundant and provides most of the humour.

They're (meant to be) a bunch of unlikeable phoneys, given some snappy dialogue by writer/director Sally Potter (who gave us ORLANDO in 1992 – now there was a weird movie). Unavoidable echoes of Mike Leigh's ABIGAIL'S PARTY (1977), which was much more more hysterical than Janet's celebration here. Slight and intermittently funny. Not very good value.

This is an odd little film, but I did enjoy it. For starters, it's only 71 minutes long, essentially the length of a typical streaming weekly drama offering. Additionally, it's shot (very nicely) in black and white, features a total cast of just seven actors (including a handful of very recognizable faces), and takes place wholly in one house using only about four shooting locations there.

This black comedy revolves around a joyful government promotion announcement and the unusual cast of characters that arrive at a small private gathering to celebrate. Conflicts abound and the very smart dialogue runs from politics to pregnancy to life coaching, much of it snarky, droll, and dripping with sarcasm (not all these people like each other; we soon learn why).

It was a quick and entertaining film. Had it gone much longer, it might have become tedious, but it didn't get there. If you're a fan of smart adult banter and personal interaction and intrigue, you'll probably like this. The great cast helps.

At first I did not like this little film but it grew on me. It's in black and white, sometimes harshly lit. The characters seem self-absorbed and not terribly interesting. And then Spall's character drops a bombshell that changes everything. There were quite a few laughs. Patricia Clarkson was especially good. Nice twist at the end. At just over an hour, it's a tight little diversion worth the small investment of time.

'The Party (2017)', which tells the tale of a dinner party awkwardly gone awry, plays out in real time and relies solely on the dynamics between its seven core characters, who deliver dialogue that mostly does that debatably grounding and realistic thing of actually being about quote unquote 'nothing' - swapping Tarantino's signature pop-culture-spewing style with one that focuses on the main socio-economic and political views of modern Britain (issues which have their place and need to be talked about but are here almost used as filler). While it is fairly entertaining for the majority of its very short runtime, once you look back on the overall narrative it feels somewhat empty (and, dare I say, unnecessary), especially when you know where it leaves off and how many of its seemingly insignificant plot strands are simply left dangling. It's a darkly satirical piece and there are a few nice moments which stand out from the otherwise forgettable proceedings. It's also technically very well conceived, genuinely feeling like an encounter one might have at an unfortunate New Year's Eve party. 6/10.

I had decent expectations for this from the second I saw it's trailer, I've just caught it on Netflix and it's fair to say I'm disappointed. A jumble of weird political statements and a masterclass in overacting the only thing going for this film is the fact it's a little over an hour in run time. With shallow characters who are easy to hate and are mostly uninteresting with the exception of Murphy's Tom this film is sadly not what it could've been. The setting is great as is the cinematography and style plus there's some great uses of music but sadly the 'story' is simple (which can be fine) but poorly executed, not what it could've been

Congratulations are in order for the hostess of a London drinks party, but the guests aren't comfortable. And there's a gun.

Fantastic cast, big issues, weak dialogue, poor characterisation, nicely shot, well edited. And the ambient music is enjoyable.

Disappointed. The situation is tightly wound, but fizzles out in unreal conflicts with zero humour - apart from the snappy end twist. The obvious source for laughs is the sore-thumb banker, but he's just a ball of sweaty nerves and passes up the opportunity for good lines when trying to dispose of the gun. Every character is a place holder for particular attitudes that do not define a human being.

It's short, and many people have praised it. For me, it was slight and not well developed. Grrr.

I only watched this because of Cillian Murphy, and wasn't expecting much. The trailers made it look okay, and I don't really think a lot of comedy movies are actually funny. Well, I was surprised! I was laughing the whole time, and wished it was longer. Cillian's acting is taken to a new level in this movie, beyond what I had seen from him in the past. He was definitely the best character. Even the political humor made me laugh. The plot was also very good and interesting. The characters each add different types of comedy to the movie, and the dialogue is well written. I am excited to watch this movie again!

I'd been looking forward to seeing this. It just goes to show that one should never be taken in by a slickly made trailer or a stellar cast-list. What a disappointing load of old codswallop.

Script: abysmal. No attempt made to write anything approaching natural conversation. Dialogue was jagged and disjointed, lacking any genuine motivational flow. Sorry, but real people just DON'T interact like this. And as for it being a comedy, well you could have fooled me. I think I laughed three times, and two of them were little more than polite titters.

Pacing: what pacing? Whole scads of dialogue slouched by like a line of blinded soldiers. At one point I caught myself yawning.

Characterisation: seven characters flapping about on screen and not a single one of them believable: just 2-dimensional assemblages of histrionics. Consequently I never felt any sympathy (or even antipathy) toward any of them, so couldn't engage with any of the supposed crises they were experiencing.

Performances: almost uniformly muggy and overdone - an effect made even worse by the habit of shooting an awful lot of exchanges in tight close-up.

I was left with the feeling that this might just work on stage (where you'd lose all the tight close-up nonsense) as a short, one-act dark farce. Why on earth anyone thought it would succeed as a movie is beyond me.

Oh yes... I said "short", didn't I? When the end credits appeared there was an audible "Uh?" of surprise from the audience. Surely an entire movie hadn't passed already? On exiting the cinema I checked the time. The film had lasted barely over an hour. Mind you, on second thoughts this was probably a blessing: not sure I could have withstood another 30 minutes of such nonsense.

Stellar performances, 9/10 script (there is a little bit lacking in the ending), and an overall likability to all the characters. For the first time in a long time I felt like I needed to post a review, because it felt like my view wasn't represented. If you liked Carnage, this is for you: This is a tightly wound, small play, made for screen. The bonus of having close-ups and a definitive, select final cut, made this a real treat.

I was hoping and expecting something that was a little bit like Mike Leigh's masterpiece Abigail's party. Believe me, Abigail's party is 90 out of 100 but this is 0 out of 100. My other half said she would be generous and give it 1 out of 10 because she liked the fireplace in the house. Interestingly it has been given rave reviews by most critics including Bradshaw in the Guardian and Kermode in the Observer. Once again their credibility must be shot by over praising this ghastly and boring fiasco. Rarely has the phrase "The Emperor's New Clothes" seemed more appropriate. Tara Brady in the Irish Times is one of the few, along with the Sunday Times and a site called Little White Lies, among professional critics who got it totally right by saying "this is still just a bad , bad play". If you look more closely it's possible to see that many ordinary punters have slammed it as well. As of today jan 7th, 2018 it's popularity in IMDb seems to be nose diving quite justifiably as people realise that the critics have got it wrong and this movie in an atrocious turkey and an embarrassment to the talented cast

This cringe-worthy gathering, in the mould of 'Abigail's Party', makes one wonder why we bother inviting others to celebrate our achievements. Scott Thomas ....whose character's recent political success is the purpose of the 'celebration', spends all her time ministering to the needs of pretty much every one else...making the food, making the 'conversation', answering the phone, the door etc whilst husband Bill (Spall), mopes in his chair pondering f... knows what while all the guests argue amongst themselves about their own particular s..t. Xst, its enough to want to shoot them all...yet we are left with only the impression that the absent female guest is to receive this fate. Here we meet middle class angst and separation from reality...what illness exactly does Bill have? We never find out yet, we learn that this little crowd share more carnal knowledge of each other than they'd want to own up to. They're all so up their own backsides we really can't feign interest in them. Cillian's nice to look at though.

An excellent ensemble cast fail to lift the film from its limitations. The film comes across very much as a theatre play. There is nothing to suggest it benefits from being filmed rather than staged. The satire, while acerbic is a very obvious commentary on a post-Brexit, post Trump world with clear reference to British politics. But the satire has a cynical edge to it that makes the film unpleasant viewing as all of the characters compete for nastiness. While none of the supposed twists and turns come as any surprise. The plot such as it is concerns a newly promoted politician who hosts a dinner party to celebrate. Things turn sour almost immediately as the guests start to arrive. The film moves straight into the drama with no build-up and the film is noticeably short. It could have benefitted from a slower pace and more character development. As it is, the characters are rather crude stereotypes who fail to elicit any sympathy. Its all quite a shame as the film had potential. As expected from such a heavyweight cast, the performances are all strong. And the current political climate offers plenty of material for satire which the film fails to fully exploit.

I quite enjoyed the performances of the characters in this tight knit ensemble. The title as implied is that its suppose to be a party where people usually celebrate an event. In this case, the director is having fun with us & showing how things can go off the rails.

Its the interactions between the characters & their history together here that is of interest to the story. While I have read the many complaints of other reviewers, I coouldn't help but think that if this movie were instead made into a play that people would have a different opinion on this.

There have been movies who's origins began on broadway. This is a movie that although quite well done, perhaps would have had a better life if done as live theater & probably would have had a better reception because the script is perfect for theater just not the movie kind.

We got a black and white movie with a lot of dialog. Depending on if this is a turn-off or not, I reckon you'll continue reading. This drama has some very fine acting in it, with a very tight script. This played at a couple of festivals, which makes sense if you think about the quality of the material.

It may feel a bit like a play (haven't searched the origin of the screenplay to tell you the truth), but it's a pretty fast paced one. That does not only ring true of the dialog speed, but also how the story and certain reveals go forward. Some things may be predictable, but if you haven't seen the trailer I reckon there will be enough surprise twists and turns waiting for you. A quality movie that keeps up a solid suspense ...

Sally Potter' s last film ''The Part'' , 2017 with excellent casting is not too bad. We have not seen a new and important work since Orlando , 1992. The Tango Lesson , 1997 was related to her dance ambition and The Man Who Cried , 2000 needs few lesson about gypsy community from Tony Gatlif ( http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0309697/ ) Rage , 2009 was like radio program. Ginger & Rose , 2012 was pretty good.

Her last work ''The Party'' in a house is ultimate theater with excellent feminist cast. Two American actresses Patricia Clarkson and Emily Mortimer - personally , Frances McDormand is missing - and one Anglo-Francis actress Kristin Scott Thomas - personally Charlotte Rampling is missing - were gorgeous. Script is gimcrack.

Expecting a better film next time from unique British female film director.

With a film which has a high rating as well as a few decent actors I was expecting something engaging. What I found however was that I could only stomach half an hour of this,I know it's a short film but that wasn't enough to keep me from removing myself from this party after 30 or so mins. This is one of the most pretentious movies I have ever sat down to watch. The problem I found was that there simply wasn't a single person in this movie you would want to be around for five mins never mind the full running time. What we have is a bunch of middle class selfish self centered stereotypes being passive aggressive towards each other and that's the big problem. It's just not believable that these people would spend time in each others company as there's no positive emotion flowing between any of them. The fact it's in black and white just adds to the pretension that this is somehow an intelligent film. There's no benefit to this being in black and white. I don't see this as a commentary on society or any social group, apart from the fact that people who claim to enjoy this movie will be as pretentious as the characters it's trying to mock. The movie lacks soul, doesn't engage and would likely only be enjoyed by those with sociopathic traits who enjoy watching people backbiting each other for their enjoyment.

The story of 'The Party' was unbeknownst to me upon my viewing of the film. All I knew was that it is directed by British Auteur Sally Potter and stars Kristen Scott Thomas, Timothy Spall and Cillian Murphy, which is the extent of context I will divulge here as I feel it is better to watch this film knowing very little about its narrative.

Although simplistic in its base narrative, underneath 'The Party' is a short, snappy, satirical view on the modern day socio-political climate. It paints the modern system of politics as ineffective at implementing change, suggesting a more immediate method is required in this day and age to keep up with such a rapidly changing world. The film succeeds and does this effectively through witty dialogue, articulately crafted Mise en Scene and a comedic narrative progression.

The narrative progression I refer to is the advancement of the characters into pure chaos after the guise of 'polite society' is stripped away, revealing the hypocrisy behind its ideals and presentation. This chaos is the crux of the film as it magnificently illustrates the futility of the mask that the upper class have created for themselves, which the film heightens through comedic elements giving the film a heavily satirical atmosphere.

Furthermore, the films caricatured characters play a crucial role in conveying the film's message as many of them are hypocrites, their real faces hiding behind the mask of what 'polite society' expects to see, with costume being cleverly utilised to convey to us the true thoughts and feelings of many of the characters whilst simultaneously acting as a red herring in some circumstances, illustrating how we cannot always know whether or not people are truly what they present themselves as, linking to another key message the film discusses: distrust in the political landscape.

However, although the film has a profound message, it suffers from being very simplistic on its surface. The story is cliché and predictable with a couple of drawn out dull moments, with the real meat of the film laying underneath, and whilst this is the case for most films, the surface has to be captivating at the same time in order to engage the audience. In this sense 'The Party' could be potentially divisive for audiences as the film runs the risk of appearing pretentious and dull for some viewers, which I can confirm as many left my screening of the film verbally disgruntled.

In conclusion, 'The Party' is an incredibly humorous, satirical take on modern day society's political landscape as well as the hypocrisy of 'polite society' and its bloated sense of self righteousness. Although it has its flaws, 'The Party' is a highly entertaining film with a punchy message that really sticks with you after you've left the theatre: indecision is the face of modern day politics, and that desperately needs to change.

This Potter film paints a bleak picture of modern people. There isn't ONE person in this cast of 7 whom the audience can sympathise with. The 7 characters call themselves friends but treat each other with cold hostility and dishonesty. Too me it felt more like an unreal vacuum of lovelessness than a real group of people. Even the super-talented Cillian Murphy comes across as one-sided and overacting. The 'twist' at the end is also not very interesting and a bit of a cliché. I've seen much better work from Sally Potter!

What a waste of talented casts. The script is just a mess. Watch Perfect Stranger (Perfetti sconosciuti) instead.