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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

Garden Party

EMAILPRINTRoadside Attractions

Garden Party reviews
31
3.2 User Score:

Generally unfavorable reviews

Based on 10 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 5 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Drama

Written by: Jason Freeland

Directed by: Jason Freeland

Release Date:
Theatrical: July 11, 2008

Running Time: minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: Not Rated

Starring Vinessa Shaw, Tierra Abbott, Christopher Allport, Willa Holland, and Lisa Arturo

Los Feliz, CA - On the sleazier side of Sunset, teenage beauty APRIL has humble ambitions. She’s searching for a way to get by without taking off her clothes—any more than she already has. Sally St. Clair is a realtor whose business has been built upon her sex appeal and secret past. Nathan, has moved to Los Angeles from Nebraska in search of fame as a dancer. Lacking drive and confidence, Nathan finds himself making late night photocopies for Sally and her clients. Todd is one of those prospective clients. A porn addicted artist in search of a way out of a sexless relationship and into an adventure, he’s happy to help Sally get revenge for some past indiscretions. (Roadside Attractions)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

75

Portland Oregonian Marc Mohan

More a collection of character vignettes than a full-blown story, Garden Party nonetheless shows as much promise for its makers as it gives to its characters.

Read Full Review >
50

Variety Peter Debruge

Isn't racy enough to warrant the word of mouth necessary to make pic a sensation with its generation, the way the unrelated disaffected-twentysomething hit "Garden State" was.

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50

The New York Times Stephen Holden

Whatever else it may accomplish, Garden Party, which is clumsily structured but well acted, with pungently realistic dialogue, puts you in a world without a center in which you can't tell upside down from right-side up.

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50

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

Although competently acted and directed, lacks a fresh point of view and its people lack individuality.

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42

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

Whether or not Garden Party is an accurate portrait of the shadow L.A. culture where the young, pretty and desperate can find quick rent money, this low-budget production never engages with its characters or stories enough to make you care either way.

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38

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

It's familiar stuff if you've sampled the vast body of work devoted to LA-dammerung.

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33

The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias

Taken together, these stories are a symphony of inconsequentiality, drained of tension and purpose until all that remains is a vague sense of collective ennui.

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25

Premiere Jenni Miller

The leaden performances (Erik Scott Smith is the worst offender), the unlistenable musical interludes, the amateurish caricatures, and the short stories' lack of overall cohesion make this a garden party you should take a rain check on.

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20

Village Voice Aaron Hillis

Trivial, commercially calculated ensemble drama (porn! pot! rock music!), which plays like a non-musical "Rent," or a faux-edgy "Shortbus" for kids raised on "American Pie."

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12

New York Post Kyle Smith

A slow ride to nowhere.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 3.2 (out of 10) based on 5 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Claudia H. gave it a1:
So a screening of it and it was completely awful, not one redeeming quality. Bad script, acting, and direction.

Bobby G gave it a1:
The 1 point goes to a star-making turn by Jessica Havard, the rest of the cast is unwatchable and the directing is Korine level bad.

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