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This movie is one of the rarer films that I have viewed over and over again through the years, and have always been able to appreciate it for something new every time. Written and directed by Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming who also portray the married couple, Joe, and Sally (Nash) Therrian. As an avid fan of Leigh since the late seventies. There are so many movies that I have seen her in that most often tend to play to the darker side over the years as she excels in portraying dark character roles. In "The Anniversary Party" I see that she is taking a shot at the whole glamorization of the 'movie scene' and the 'star power couple'. Leigh and Cumming take this one a bit 'lighter' than her usual fare although it is still fraught with conflict but also laughter.
Jason Leigh adds many personal touches with the cast and during the party; her personal friends, Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates along with their real life children are the Gold family, all of the people at the party personally wrote their own speeches for the toast except Paltrow, Leigh's own half-sister is the neighbor wife and even Leigh's dog "Otis" is a part of this movie.
Through this overblown, self-absorbed vehicle that is the celebration of the couple's sixth wedding anniversary, so many different Hollywood types, neighbors, and friends come converging to the party. Although from the outset, Joe and Sally's marriage is just coming back together once again after many split-ups through their turbulent years. Joe is a successful author who is just readying himself to direct his latest novel. He is blatant about choosing the next up and coming rising star in Hollywood (Gwyneth Paltrow who is the flirtatious 'Skye Davidson') to play his female lead while Sally herself could use the work as an actress much more and is ill at ease with his choice. Furthermore, he has invited her to the party without telling Sally and causes insecurity in his wife at their party by his heartless actions. This first pulls the string of tension that runs throughout this film to the tautest point and doesn't let up.
This setup affords all the necessary focus to be on the characters and on their boisterous conversational exchanges. This all takes place within one day and one night, preparing first during daytime and receiving their guests for the party in the evening as each guest comes through their door, they add layer upon layer of drama, comedy, and tragedy. The different scenes of the party itself are very interesting within themselves, the 'toasting scene' probably being one of the most revealing, also the whole game of 'charades'. It's like watching a Hollywood type implosion. This film cannot be typed within the drama or comedy realm as it is basically both, depending on your own personal viewpoint. For myself, I could see several very funny parts in their extravagant lives of bloated egos. Several Shakespearian quotes and back biting, off-handed remarks and over the top rantings flow through this, it does get hilarious at certain points.
Midway through the film, Skye Davidson drops a bag of Ecstasy onto a table and several of the parties leave at this point while many stay on. They all have been drinking for several hours and now start to add this to the mix.
It doesn't mix well.
People start milling around talking and doing outrageous things, while the neighbor seems to go into some sort of hypnotic state. Everyone is affected differently as the film turns into a comedy of errors. Too much is said in the old adage of "loose lips sink ships". While Sally is off basically reflecting with her friend Sophia (Phoebe Cates), her husband Joe begins his penchant for womanizing that caused the couple so many problems in their past. Many different situations happen with the cast throughout this part of the film and a lot of damage also as that tension is pulling ever tauter.
You will find yourself wondering how in the world is this party going to end, but end it does.
The cast itself is full of so many big names (Jane Adams, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Beals and Parker Posey to name a few more) that you really need to view the film to decide how each character lends themselves to this party of mass proportions. Leigh and Cumming did a masterful job with this film in showing the excesses of Hollywood and in making it completely relatable to the everyday person. As in we are all the same basically, just in different worlds. A very underrated movie with such a big message through just a glimpse at The Anniversary Party...
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