The Anniversary Party [2001] | ![The Anniversary Party [2001]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5162JKS76WL._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Directors: Alan Cumming, Jennifer Jason Leigh
Actors: Kevin Kline, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alan Cumming, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jennifer Beals
Studio: Entertainment in Video
Category: DVD
List Price: £19.99
Buy New: £1.00
You Save: £18.99 (95%)
New (21) Used (5) from £1.00
Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 13458
Format: Pal
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Region: 2
Discs: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 110 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.6
EAN: 5017239191480
ASIN: B00009PAAJ
Theatrical Release Date: June 24, 2001
Release Date: June 28, 2004
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 dishonest, likeable, dramatic - everything hollywood strives to be June 4, 2008
R. Parris (Newport, Wales)
I watched this film only recently and I absolutely love it. Aside from the story (basic, but definitely works well), the use of digital filming really adds a great texture to the style and flow of the film, it seems more 'fly on the wall' than hollywood drama. But that's just what's so fascinating, as it is a depiction of a celebrity couple and a day in their lives, so as celebrities are constantly in the public eye, this film successfully portrays the kind of intimacy we feel towards celebrities, though they are people we don't actually know anything about.
There's drama, drugs, affairs, fights and of course love, lust, laughs and losses.
Written and Directed by lead actors Jennifer Jason Leigh and Allan Cumming's, this is the story of a high profile couple who have recently reconciled and are celebrating their 6th anniversary. The relationship is just on the mend, so is still fragile and as the party unfolds so do the home truths, lies and deceit; and not just from the main couple, but all of their friends and their other halves that have attended the party.
That actual film has a brilliant, up-front, sinister, 90s indie feel to it, but still with enough Hollywood stylistics to make it a familiar formula. Ok so admittedly, no Oscars should be dished out for this movie, but it is still very watchable, even lovable as, all in all, it is just a story about the hardships of being in a relationship and how grueling and unpredictable life is, no matter how famous you are or how much money you have.
Great performance from Alan Cumming's, Pheobe Cates and also starring a rather young looking Gwyneth Paltrow.
Definitely worth purchasing if you are up for a rather gritty drama, or are one of the majority of us that is fascinated with the concept of celebrity and how much it means to others, but how little it means when you're living it.
 What happens when actors are left unsupervised March 1, 2007
Franklin T Marmoset
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
I like Jennifer Jason Leigh quite a bit, so it was a real disappointment to see this one, which marks her debut (alongside Alan Cumming) as a writer and director. The film is about a couple (played by Leigh and Cumming) who have recently reunited after a brief separation and are about to celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary. To this end, they invite a bunch of their friends to their comfy Californian home. A party ensues, during which all of the many simmering resentments between Leigh and Cumming (also, pretty much everyone else) come bursting to the surface.
Problem one here is the subject matter, which concerns a bunch of self-absorbed L.A. film business types who live lives so luxurious and pampered that it's difficult to care about their various problems. With the sole exception of Phoebe Cates, who is probably the most likable presence here and who really ought to act more, everyone is pretty much a narcissistic jerk. Perhaps a more deft hand would have come up with a script capable of making us care about this stuff, but that isn't the case here. The self-indulgence on display in the story overwhelms the entire film, leaving you with the impression that The Anniversary Party doesn't even have a writer or director; just a group of actors left to their own devices for a few weeks.
Another problem is that for all the over-acting there's precious little actual drama on display. Leigh and Cumming make it so obvious from the start where their story is headed that there's no real surprise when things kick off. The film picks up a bit when the party's in full swing and the ecstasy tablets are handed out, but it's not too long before The Anniversary Party descends into a bunch of unrestrained, shouty melodrama.
I don't have anything against actors - after all, we'd all be watching silent cartoons without them - but this film is an excellent example of what happens when you let them run amok without supervision. This is definitely one to avoid.
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