The Lather Effect

Saw this movie at the Sonoma Film Festival and it was really funny. Went with a group of friends of all ages and everyone was laughing out loud. Not to mention the soundtrack is really good. Have told so many of my friends about this movie. They can't wait for it to be released so they can see it first hand. It is a kind of Big Chill for all of us who grew up in the 80's. It takes you right back to High School. It also deals with the issue of growing up and moving on and getting older. This seemed to strike a chord in everyone. It is the reason, within our group, that everyone found amusement in this film. No matter what age, if you have a chance to see this film, do yourself a favor and go. You will be in a good mood for the rest of the day.

This film is hilarious. I saw it at the Sonoma Valley Film Festival, and the audience was laughing all the way through. The casting was excellent, which led to a totally believable ensemble that gave the script an authentic rendering. One felt as if they were at the party, as if it was a real enactment of a great weekend in one's life - you know, a party that actually reveals some important "lessons" in life. The screenplay was honest and direct, fast-paced and layered. I was especially impressed by the first-time director, who also wrote the script. She has a talent for crafting the plot so that there is a lot going on without losing the cohesion of the story, and bringing in cameos that added even more enjoyment. The title may need to be rethought, but thats relatively easy. Maybe just "Lather" will do, because thats the feeling that I got, that yummy moment in the shower when the lather is all whipped up and feels so good.

This movie inevitably will be compared with The Big Chill, and that's okay. The Lather Effect is funny and poignant, and explores a lot of themes that are common to most people in their thirties regardless of when they grew up. I saw it when it played at South by Southwest, where it was well-received by the audience, who laughed and cheered in all the right places.

Valinda (Friday Night Light's Connie Britton) throws one last "rager" at her parents' house on the weekend before it is to be sold. The party's theme was "Come As You Were," so everyone was dressed in Eighties costumes, but along with their memories they also brought their unresolved issues from their teen years, as well as their adult fears about the future. On the morning after the party, the house is a huge mess that Valinda and her circle of friends have to clean up. In the process, long-buried secrets are revealed and old wounds are opened. The characters begin to come to terms with how their pasts affected the present, and contemplate the future.

The cast is excellent. Connie Britton carries the movie well, and Eric Stoltz steals many scenes as the slightly-older guy who used to crash every party when they were teens, in what feels like a reprisal of his cameo in Say Anything (minus the chicken suit). The soundtrack is great as well -- when can I buy the CD?

This film manages to capture some of the magic of the John Hughes 80's without being a complete re-hash. Most amazing is the well-rounded nature of the group cast. You get a picture of each of these people's lives. Hughes' movies always had an undercurrent of drama, pain and misfortune. The director/writer was at the screening I saw (at KIFF) and said the movie was loosely based on an 80's party she threw.

I felt that the movie did a great job of being nostalgic without going overboard, pulling in the anxiety of thirty-somethings who grew up on those 80's classics, and ends with you feeling strangely connected to the whole group. This party could happen in your house tonight, and along with it a good, if a little painful sometimes look back, and, by its conclusion, a realistic look at the ahead.

Hope this gets distributed to more screens so more people can enjoy it themselves. Penis pirate for life! -D

I saw this on the last night of the LA Film Festival, and it was a treat.

The plot, such as it is, is about a group of friends getting together for 'one last party' at a house about to be sold, an '80's Rage', where they dress up like their favorite 80's icons, Madonna, Tom Cruise, etc. There's even a funny reference to 'that Gorbachov dude'.

But it's really about a lost past, missed opportunities, and cleaning out the cobwebs of old relationships. Sounds kind of heavy, but it's really really funny.

The cast is great, from the radiant Ione Skye (Say Anything) to straight laced Tate Donovan (The O.C.) to David Herman as the 'former child star', who just about steals every scene that he's in. But the 'jubilant engine' that kicks it into high gear is Eric Stoltz (Pulp Fiction), who I didn't' know even did comedy. He's hysterical, and every time he's on screen the film goes to a different, wackier place.

It has one of those soundtracks that make you want to go out and buy it. Which I tried to do at the Virgin Records outside the theater, but they didn't' have it yet. Every 80's hit song you can remember is somehow in this film, it's a little like BEING at the actual party!

In fact, the whole film is like being at a party. A lot of fun.