  LIVING IN OBLIVION - Bet you didn't know that a modern-day, English-language remake of 1975's "The Story of O" is coming out this fall or that its witty L.A.-based writer and director, Phil Leirness, is in town this week with his cynical 1998 comedy, "The Party Crashers". "Focusing in part on a gigolo who is clinging to his last vestiges of human decency only to sell that scrap of decency to the highest bidder, the film is a fairly honest depiction of living and loving in Los Angeles," Leirness muses. "The Party Crashers" marked the first starring role for Josh Randall of NBC's "Ed", and its director of photography went on to shoot "Requiem for a Dream" and "Josie and the Pussycats". The flick was originally scheduled for distribution last fall through Turbulent Arts, only to slip into limbo when the S.F. distributor imploded. "The Party Crashers" is currently at the Towne in San Jose and opens Friday at the Parkway in Oakland, where Leirness and actor Peter Murnik will hold forth at the 9:45 p.m. show." - Michael Fox, SF Weekly, 7/25/01 A hilarious romp where a gigolo, a gambler, a spoiled heiress, a champion female figure skater, a live band and three desperate men are all brought together under the same roof for a party and several felonies. - Cinequest San Jose Film Festival What exactly is a "romp"? - P.L.
Ennui. That's what I felt while exposed to this pointless exercise in furthering the cause of entropy. Why is it that fledgling filmmakers think that simply having a couple of guys wave around guns at a roomful of people makes a story? According to the director, the script was written very quickly; that would have been my guess, seeing as how it screams "first draft!" This film epitomizes a new crisis in cinema; it is now easier than ever before to make a feature film. The result is the same as in any saturated medium; an excess of ill-conceived product. Listen, kids - just because you CAN make a film, doesn't mean you SHOULD. Learn the craft before you make the rest of us suffer through your freshman efforts. - Allen White, Film Threat, 3/15/99 Whew, it sure is a good thing nobody reads Film Threat! I'm not going to say anything about Allen White, as he gave a very good review to a film made by my friend, Allan Piper. Still, "ennui"? Hand me the dictionary. And "this film epitomizes a new crisis in cinema"? That's nit-picking, isn't it, Allen? Finally, "furthering the cause of entropy"? Boy, somebody really needs to get laid! - P.L.
The slyly amusing THE PARTY CRASHERS pretty well summarizes '90s U.S. indie cinema by aiming somewhere dead between Tarantino (comic crime spree) and Whit Stillman (comic twentysomething relationship yakfest). Set almost entirely at a shindig invaded and held hostage by robbers - with very little difference betwween criminals and captives, as it turns out - pic is a slick diversion, albeit one without the first class quips or clever plot twists to guarantee a significant theatrical life. If latter fails to come through, it's natural tube and vid-shelf filler, as well as a solid resume-builder for all involved. His latest, high-minded screenplay having failed once again to attract sales, a gay writer (writer-director Phil Leirness) refuses to sell out - instead, he'll simply collaborate with his bisexual actor b.f. (Burt Bulos) and their surly pal (Josh Randall) to hold up an A-list party they've been tipped to, and thereafter live free of financial pressure. Plan is to sneak into penthouse fete of a Hollywood attorney (Christopher Jacobs), knowing that blond rich chick Carolyn (Shawnee Smith) will be there. While the other guests are kept on ice, the thieves will place a call to Carolyn's mother (Maureen Byrnes) and step-dad (John Saxon), demanding $5 million ransom for her safe return. Turns out excitement-hungry Carolyn doesn't carea whit about this situation, feeling no great loyalty toward her parents. Indeed, after some mild initial disgruntlement, she and other partygoers decide to take it all in stride - continuing to drink, drug, dance and flirt the night away as planned. Only the host and a couple of his more macho friends feel driven to plot an upset, which the amiable criminals quickly thwart. Short feature has a droll, blase tone, if perhaps a bit too much so for its own good. Wittier dialogue might have given bright but slender premise a little more ballast. Leirness tries to pull a number of last-minute surprises - of the double-and-triple-cross variety - but there's been so little suspense or import built up prior that these revelations seem gratuitous. Nonetheless, THE PARTY CRASHERS is good-looking, technically resourceful, attractively cast and assuredly paced; its caustic humor goes down easily, even if you may feel hungry again not too long afterward. - Dennis Harvey, Daily Variety, 3/11/99 Overall, a very fair, nicely written review, and where I do take exception, I can't comment, without giving certain plot points away - P.L.
If you mixed the DNA of Charles Grodin and Kevin Spacey and made a hybrid, you might come up with Phil Leirness, writer, director and star of THE PARTY CRASHERS. The film is a hilarious comedy about a group of artists who decide to crash a friend's party, kidnap the guests and offer them up for ransom. Leirness makes quite an impression with his portrayal of the leader of the kidnapers. His comic timing is quite good; he fires one-liners with the confidence of a Woody Allen. THE PARTY CRASHERS is trashy, goofy fun. - Lance Swanson, Spartan Daily, 2/25/99 Comparing me to Charles Grodin, Kevin Spacey and Woody Allen? Put simply, Lance Swanson is the most brilliant film critic on the planet." - P.L.
Stuffed with indie and action cliches and lacking both energy and narrative coherence, Phil Leirness' THE PARTY CRASHERS still manages a few amusing moments. The familiar plot deals with three cute, good-natured but down-on-their-luck guys out for one big score. In a fairly inexplicable ransom scheme, they crash a chi-chi soiree attended by a publishing heiress in an attempt to milk $5 million from her parents (why they didn't just kidnap her without a few dozen of her friends is never quite explained). Our felons are decent guys, though, so they urge the party to continue, and gradually the guests get used to socializing with machine guns pointing at them. Cleverly, THE PARTY CRASHERS focuses on how in L.A. all the attendees are in the midst of crisis. The girls at the party treat the gunmen like celebrities, and everyone involved harbors hopes of parlaying their involvement into book and movie deals. This conceit is a nice touch in a film that otherwise never overcomes its weak screenplay and general listlessness. - Michelle Goldberg, Metro, 2/25/99 "Weak screenplay"? According to Frank Elley, it's "a hilarious and delightful script"! As for the ransom scheme being "inexplicable" and the kidnaping of dozens of guests in addition to the heiress going unexplained, she's wrong on both counts. Perhaps it should be pointed out that Michelle Goldberg is actually a music critic, not a movie critic. On the other hand, she does call us "cute", so as far as I'm concerned, it's a fantastic review!" - P.L.
It's a happening party! You'll be glad you came. Over there's the ex-jock - you know, whatzizname, the guy who used to be someone - til he blew it - with drugs and gambling. There's that famous female ice skater, looking very slinky. The record company exec in shades. The handsome, down-on-his-luck gigolo. The spoiled but oddly likable heiress to a publishing empire. And, oh yeah - three guys with guns. They're the party crashers. Their plan is simple: Take everyone hostage, call up "big daddy" publisher, and demand five million dollars. Don't call the cops, or we'll kill your bratty daughter. And everyone else, too. The party crashers are out-of-work actors and embittered screenwriters who may be desperate for cash but definitely aren't party-poopers. So, of course, they insist that all continue to enjoy themselves. The band plays. The bar stays open. The guests mingle. Just don't try anything heroic if you value the "family jewels." You get extra points if you can figure out exactlywho's scamming whom. Engrossing music by Sid Hillman, a hilarious and delightful script - that's THE PARTY CRASHERS. You definitely wanna go there. - Frank Elley, Metro, 1/28/99 Love it or hate it, there's something about this film that makes critics want to get creative. "Family Jewels"? - P.L.
Anyone who's been there knows Los Angeles is less the City of Angels than the City of Angles. So many people are trying to make it big, sometimes the only way to maintain one's artistic integrity - or at least take home a paycheck and some media attention - is to pull a very big crime. Writer/director/star Phil Leirness seems to know the scene - this independently-produced crime story comes at you from every side. Nimble and darkly funny, it revolves around three down-but-by-no-means-out industry wannabes, a severely spoiled publishing heiress, a gigolo, an ex-athlete/gambling addict, a penthouse party and a live rock band. Anything more said would give away too much. By the time the sun rises on this film, there have been a bunch of laughs, some gun waving, a few random kisses, good music . . . well, a few million dollars has changed hands. In other words it's been a fun party. - Stu Dawrs, Honolulu Weekly, 11/4/98 Great review. Love the "City of Angles" bit! - Phil Leirness
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