Rather than give a straightforward narrative, the film instead is very freeform in its plot delivery, with events happening on a whim rather than having a direct cause and effect. The film manages to capture the feeling of the night life scene very well, as shown through the cinematography, which steadily gets shakier as the film goes on. Regarding the sound design, PARTY HARD reminded me a little bit of Fight Club by keeping the background noise almost as loud as the character dialogue. While this can be seen as a risky move, as the dialogue can sound muffled, in PARTY HARD's case, it adds a sense of realism while still keeping the dialogue audible.
One of the most creative aspects of the film was the music. Most if not all of the soundtrack was composed of original scores. This is especially impressive considering the quality of the songs, such as the aptly-named title song PARTY HARD. If I didn't know the song was an original song, I would've almost thought it was from Kendrick Lamar! Both Miles Kendrick and Ty Rowe have serious talent and singing ability and I wish to see more of their work in the future!
PARTY HARD was made on a budget of $6,000 and shot over the course of two and a half weeks. Director William Nicholas Clay and cinematographer Stephen T. Canada wanted to create a film that was a hangout film set in their hometown. Previously, the two worked on various short films and music videos, with PARTY HARD being their first feature film. Upon looking at the hectic bar-hopping scenes, I can see how both Clay and Canada's experience working on music videos came into play, turning something that would be considered mundane into a more dramatic activity.
Overall, PARTY HARD is a well-made film with a solid production and cast. It was made to be the ultimate 'hangout' movie and it is very successful in that endeavor. Despite its boisterous appearance consisting of loud bar music, crass language and disjointed storytelling, at the heart of the film lies a very solemn issue that plagues the hearts of many young folk today. While it may not have the production value of a bigger budget film such as Lost in Translation, it has similar feel and story beats to the iconic Academy Award winner. For anyone who suffers from guilt over their past, or just wants a heartfelt hangout film, this movie is worth checking out.
