Project X Movie Review (2024)

Parents Say: age 16+ Project X Movie Review (1) 25 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • Positive Messages

    none

    The movie's central theme seems to be that the shy main character "needed" a party to help him out of his shell -- and that the rampant destruction of property and thousands of dollars in repairs were worth it. (In the epilogue, the father, though upset, even seems proud of his son.)

  • Positive Role Models

    none

    Teens disregard their parents' wishes and cause thousands of dollars' worth of destruction for a party.

  • Violence & Scariness

    a little

    Most of the violence consists of quick, drunken outbursts at the party. Some punches are thrown, and there's a shoving match, but very little actual fighting. A little person punches several partygoers in the groin. A Taser is used. A bully shows up in a couple of scenes, but nothing much happens with him. A flamethrower is used, and the user eventually catches on fire himself.

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  • Sex, Romance & Nudity

    a lot

    Many teen girls go topless in the swimming pool. One girl flirts heavily with the birthday boy, kissing and licking his neck. They begin to undress for sex (their tops are removed) and climb onto a bed, but they're interrupted. The main character kisses two women. Minor characters are seen sporadically making out or engaging in foreplay. Also heavy, graphic sexual innuendo.

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  • Language

    a lot

    Constant, no-holds-barred swearing, including hundreds of uses of "f--k" and "s--t" (in every permutation), as well as "d--k," "c--k," "p---y," "t-ts," "fa*ggot," "goddamn," "bitch," "penis," "vagin*," "balls," "ass," "ho," "a--hole," "damn," "hell," "oh my God," and the "N" word, as well as heavy sexual innuendo.

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  • Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

    a lot

    Teens drink alcohol of all types excessively throughout the movie. Ecstasy is passed out at the party, and most teens take some. The three main characters buy and smoke pot.

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  • Parents Need to Know

    Parents need to know that Project X -- a very raunchy comedy about three high school seniors who throw a huge party that spins wildly out of control -- is packed with constant strong language ("f--k," "s--t," and much more), topless teens, sexual situations, graphic sexual innuendo, and excessive teen drinking and drug use (Ecstasy and pot). Punches are thrown, and though there's no actual fighting, the party has an increasing air of danger and violence (a flamethrower appears in the final act). The movie is funny in a shocking way, but parents will be appalled at its message: that a shy teen "needs" a huge party to break out of his shell and become a social success, regardless of the fact that the cost is thousands of dollars in damage. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.

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  • Parents say (25)
  • Kids say (56)

age 16+

Based on 25 parent reviews

Alessandro L. Adult

May 14, 2024

age 15+

The Amount of Breasts Made the Film Great!

Generally, I wouldn’t be generous in my reviews of films like this, but there was a saving grace. For starters: there are tons of ladies who will just randomly flash their breasts at the camera. In fact, the breasts start coming out in the pool scene with a sign that reads “Naked Only.” Not only do I think it’s genuinely funny how a thing like that which wouldn’t work in real life worked in the film, but it’s also the moment where the film actually starts getting better, solely because it’s when the other women start taking their tops off and freeing the nipples. but the absolute best moment? well, a woman named Alexis Knapp, whom most knew from Pitch Perfect, had what likely was her most memorable moment in any film or television show. to preface: while I never fully got into Pitch Perfect, Alexis kept my attention. and it was because I was at the age where I was getting attracted to women’s breasts. and of course, any time Alexis was on screen in her revealing tops, I’d immediately be drawn to her chest. and then I got to the bedroom scene with her and Thomas in this film. her breasts were absolutely stunning! I was 14 at the time and thank god I was home alone! I thoroughly enjoyed watching her take her bra off and seeing her nipples. and I enjoyed seeing her literally grab Thomas’s hands and put them on her breasts as he was star struck at getting to touch some of the best breasts in the world! can’t blame him for making her place his hands on her breasts, if I had been in his position, I’d be too stunned to move while looking at those perfect breasts too! in conclusion: the film as a whole wasn’t all that great, but the many ladies flashing their breasts to the camera & especially Alexis Knapp allowing the world to finally see her breasts were what made me give this film a perfect rating!

Alessandro A. Adult

November 29, 2023

age 17+

A raunchy film involving high school students throwing a party

Project X is one of those ‘comedy’ films that isn’t incredibly amazing, but not the worst movie ever; it’s ’fine.’ The plot isn’t anything super original; some high school aged kids are throwing a typical high school party that ends up going super wild and out of control towards the second half of the film. Tons of violence, drugs/alcohol, and of course, scenes that either involve sexual activities being implied and/or scenes involving nudity to a certain extent. There are some differences in the nudity scenes between the theatrical release and the unrated release; namely scenes that were reshot for the theatrical release to either shorten the nude scenes or have the female actors cover their boobs/buttocks with undergarments. Ironically though, it seems one nude scene is slightly more revealing in the theatrical release due to the slightly brighter lighting and the angles of the female actor. Regarding the nudity in the unrated release: there are quite a few scenes where some girls will straight up face the camera, lift up their shirts and/or bras, and flash their bare naked boobs to the camera for a few short seconds. The unrated release also has a scene involving topless girls in a bounce house with some shots showing one or two girls facing the camera and their boobs bouncing when they jump; some of these shots are in slo-mo. A few scenes in the unrated cut also show topless girls in the pool showing their bare boobs, but most of these scenes had them wearing bras or bikini tops in the theatrical release. One pool scene in the unrated cut shows a girl underwater with her underpants (bottoms covering her buttocks) slipping down her buttocks revealing the top of her butt crack. The one scene that was a bit more revealing in the theatrical cut involves the main character, Thomas, and a college girl, Alexis, making out before moving the action to Thomas’s bed. A few seconds after they get on the bed, Thomas reaches for Alexis’s bra; she proceeds to push his hands onto the bed before taking of her bra, revealing her bare boobs, and then grabbing his hands and placing them on her boobs. The main difference between the two versions is that her boobs are slightly more visible in the theatrical release; likely due to the lighting being a bit brighter and the angles being slightly different. It also seems like Alexis takes a few seconds longer to place Thomas’s hands on her boobs in the theatrical release versus the unrated cut. Obviously there’s a ton of swearing in both versions; the typical f*ck, sh*t, bitch, ass, and all their variations. Drugs and alcohol are plentiful too, most of the characters consuming these drugs/alcohol are adult actors playing high school and college aged characters. Several scenes depicting high school aged students smoking weed and consuming alcohol. There are a few violent scenes; namely when the adult neighbors complain about the noise in the party and the high school aged characters hurt them; one scene shows an adult neighbor fighting back. Most of the jokes aren’t really funny for people over the age of 30, but if you’re in between the ages of 17-25 then you may find a few of them funny. The majority of the dialog in general consists of tons of sexual jokes and swearing, which isn’t surprising due to the general plot. Over all, it is a ‘fine’ comedy film if you’re in the late high school or college age groups, especially if you’re just looking for a film to turn your brain off and watch out of pure boredom from time to time. The only problems are the nudity scenes and the drugs/alcohol which obviously make it inappropriate for those under 17, although with the scene involving Thomas touching Alexis’s bare boobs which implies that they were about to fully have sex, that scene alone would push the minimum age up to 18 in my eyes even if they were cut short by Thomas’s girlfriend walking in on them before they could go any further.

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What's the Story?

Thomas (Thomas Mann) is a quiet, shy high school senior living in Pasadena. His parents go out of town for the weekend, leaving him on his own for his birthday. His loudmouth pal, Costa (Oliver J. Cooper), who once lived in Queens, New York, arranges a party to help Thomas out of his shell and meet some girls. Their friend JB (Jonathan Daniel Brown), a bespectacled nerd whose exterior belies a suave party animal, helps. Thomas hopes for a small gathering and to keep revelers in the backyard and out of the house, but Costa theorizes that the bigger the party, the more it counts, and before long, thousands of people show up, and the night spins wildly out of control.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:

Parents say (25):

Kids say (56):

This party truly is out of control -- and, frankly, shockingly funny at times. The all-night-party subgenre has been around for ages, including everything from American Graffiti and Sixteen Candles to Superbad. Though the parties seem to get crazier over the years, these movies almost always focus on young characters learning a lesson or coming of age. Not so in PROJECT X. Here, character is set aside to make room for a much more insane, out-of-control party experience, in which -- no matter how much damage is incurred or how much it costs -- it was worth it.

As the movie goes on and the party rages harder, the images become more and more primal, like half-glimpsed snippets of a nightmare experienced through a drunken fog. Project X takes the perspective that a great party is one in which we can turn off our brains and let our bodies go wild. But that doesn't change the fact that it's too intense for teens, and too disturbing for parents.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the teen drinking in Project X. What are the real-life consequences of alcohol and drug use? How does that compare to the consequences typically shown in movies?

  • How does the movie portray teen sex? Is there pressure for kids to have sex at this age? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.

  • What lessons do the characters learn after their party? Do any of them justify the path it took to get there?

Movie Details

  • In theaters: March 2, 2012
  • On DVD or streaming: June 19, 2012
  • Cast: Jonathan Daniel Brown, Oliver J. Cooper, Thomas Mann
  • Director: Nima Nourizadeh
  • Inclusion Information: Middle Eastern/North African directors
  • Studio: Warner Bros.
  • Genre: Comedy
  • Run time: 88 minutes
  • MPAA rating: R
  • MPAA explanation: crude and sexual content throughout, nudity, drugs, drinking, pervasive language, reckless behavior and mayhem - all involving teens
  • Last updated: August 16, 2023

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