The Party (1980)

Redundant and unnecessary.

One of my all time favorites.

Boring

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

I grew up in the 1980ies and didn't see the movie until now. I have to admit that, despite the hype at the time, it's a decent coming-of-age movie which ended up setting the script for all the teenage romcoms to come. To my surprise, the travails of young Vic are buffeted by the adventures of her patchworkish family, with her philandering father, her economically struggling mother and her funky grandmother. Unusually it depicts the (naturally rather tame) love adventures of 11 to 14-years-olds, in other words the deal is the first kiss on the mouth here, whereas modern movies either cater to kids or senior to college level young adults, where much more risqué humour is viable.What makes the movie worth watching today is the enormous cultural gap between then and now. It all seems so dull, grey and dusty, just like I remembered the era.Some things I found especially noteworthy:* the characters eat noodles all the time; even steak with noodles* the movie makers had a thing going for Germany; we have sexy German teacher monsieur Lehman, in part two Vic goes to summer school near Salzburg and heart throb Pierre sets off for exotic Stuttgart* Denise Grey (grannie Poupette) was 84 years old when the movie was released; she had her first acting appearance in 1913 and died at the age of 99* the family car, a Talbot-Matra Rancho in the luxurious Grand Raid edition (with headlights which look like cop cruiser searchlights); basically a R4-class ride styled to look as if it had just won the Camel Trophy* the eponymous "boum" (party) is incredibly lame by modern standards, essentially kids standing around a record player, listening to unbelievably cheesy music and sucking on a Coke* the product placement: while the teens eat generic "super chips" all the time (obviously, a lucrative contract didn't surface here), there are constant placements for Lacoste and Talbot-Matra* the fashions look unbelievably tame and stuffy, with the girls wearing almost no makeup* the movie makers were very clever in marketing the music, they managed to scout unknown British musicians and got them to write a suitable song, played it constantly throughout each movie and thus created fairly solid hits in the process ("Dreams Are My Reality" by Richard Sanderson in the first part, and, to a lesser degree, and using virtually identical harmonies, "Your Eyes" by Cook Da Books (what??) in the second episode)* the school Vic goes to, the lycée Henri IV, is a prestigious Parisian high school

My french teacher allowed my class to watch the entire thing.It's a wonderful movie. There was one slow song that kept playing throughout the entire film, but at the moment I cannot recall the name of it. I give it a ten out of ten because it was funny, shocking, and even a smidge sad at points. Nowadays it would most definitely be rated PG-13 at least, because it does contain profanity and some sexual references. All of the foreign films shown to us in class were loved by all, such as Jean De Florette and Manon De la Source, which are both equally fabulous movies. I must say that I greatly enjoyed the lead female character's haircut. It really looked good on her.

Every French girl between the age of 15 and 35 knows this classic movie by heart!La Boum takes place in Paris (Saint Germain des Prés) in the early eighties. 13 year-old Vic and best friend Penelope are dealing with high-school life, first loves and the problems in their parents' couples. The first half of the movie is about Vic trying to convince her parents to let her attend her first "boum" (home party), with the help of her hilarious grand-grand mother. Of course, Vic falls in love at the party, and the second half of the movie focuses on the relationship."La Boum" is a beautiful movie about adolescence, with great comedy moments and fabulous actors. Any teenage girl or anyone who's into the 80s culture should see it. It also has a very parisian touch that I love. We see so many movies taking place in american high schools, kids driving to school, playing fields, cheerleaders, etc etc... "La Boum" shows the life in Paris as it really is, for a change. This was the first role of Sophie Marceau (later to be a James Bond villain).

I first saw this film in my French class in the early '90s, and I LOVED it. My friends and I would rent this film voluntarily because it was just like the American 80s film we loved, but it was in French and often better. When I looked up this movie, I was surprised to learn that Vic was played by Sophie Marceau (I guess she hadn't starred in any American films back then, so I'd never heard of her). This movie is wonderful and I highly recommend it!! I think I'm going to have to go out and see it again soon!!!