A Good Old Fashioned Orgy, 2011.
Directed by Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck.
Starring Jason Sudeikis, Leslie Bibb, Lake Bell, Michelle Borth, Nick Kroll, Tyler Labine, Lindsay Sloane, Lucy Punch, Will Forte and Don Johnson.
SYNOPSIS:
When his father announces that he’s selling his beach house, a thirty-something party animal famous for throwing lavish themed summer parties at the property decides to go out with a proverbial bang, organising a good old fashioned orgy for his close circle of friends.
For a film called A Good Old Fashioned Orgy, the output either needs to be outrageously sexual or ridiculously funny. This film turns out, eventually, to be neither.
The film starts off so promisingly, delivering a stream of constant laughs and one-liners from the cream of some of American TV’s top sitcoms such as The League, Children’s Hosptial, and 30 Rock, and combines a nice commentary and outlook on friendship, growing up and getting old. None of these stars are popular enough yet for us to be bored of them and their style of comedy (unlike Jack Black, Zach Galifianakis, Will Ferrell) and in low key films such as this they have a great place to shine without having to conform to what a wide audience wants and expects from them. For 60 minutes, this is everything that Judd Apatow and Todd Phillips could only wish for.
Then, sadly, the orgy of the title has to happen, and the film’s sitcom-style humour falls aside and the story moves into the usual fall-outs, arguments, hurt feelings, resolutions, hugs and pats on the back that are just not believable and leave a sour taste in the mouth of the audience. The film would have been better if it left the orgy as a cliffhanger and we had to make up our own minds as to what happened, leaving out the ‘we’re all such great friends, let’s all sing and dance and clap and self-congratulate’ rubbish. There’s nothing I dislike more than seeing a group of mid 30s couples all acting like they’re 17 years old whilst a soft-rock soundtrack plays over the scene.
I recommend seeing this film until the orgy, then switching it off and savouring what was the best part of an ultimately mediocre film. Having watched it all, A Good Old Fashioned Orgy is soon forgotten and that is a real shame.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Rohan Morbey – follow me on Twitter.
Originally published May 16, 2012. Updated April 10, 2018.
