Kiwis aren't allowed to throw parties at the moment but hoo boy, there will be some wild ones when lockdown ends.
I reckon some cinematic inspiration is in order.
As New Zealand endures the COVID-19 alert level 4, many Kiwis are enjoying streaming more movies at home than usual. But what should you watch? Newshub is here to help.
We're bringing you streaming guides with advice on what to watch and where to watch it.
In this edition, I've put together six of the best party films available to help you have a virtual blast.
Project X
Super dumb and morally bankrupt, this film has awesome party scenes and wonderfully expresses the feeling of being too wasted. It's crude, but projects messy, sweaty, crowded anxiety in a way that's very effective. It's an entertaining, found footage take on the quintessential trope of dorky teenage boys trying to throw the wildest party ever. In this one, they succeed - but it never turns into a morality tale about friendship or responsibility or anything like that. It's anarchistic and constantly rewards truly awful behaviour, with a cool soundtrack that climaxes with one of Metallica's very best songs.
Where to stream: Hire from Google / Microsoft / Apple
Slumber Party Massacre II
Easily the weirdest and the worst movie on this list is this 1987 oddity. Yes, it's a sequel to an underwhelming '80s slasher, but filmmaker Deborah Brock wasn't interested in anything close to the normality of a standard sequel. Instead, she cooked up this nonsensical concoction of supernatural silliness, black comedy and an Elvis Presley musical. The killer is a camp greaser, probably the previous film's villain reincarnated, but it's never explained. He dances a lot and kills with a ridiculous electric guitar/power drill combination. It's all just so absurd and the party scenes before the massacring are suitably bizarre and delightful.
Where to stream: Amazon Prime Video
Booksmart
In 2019 the teen party comedy movie was modernised in a brilliant way by Booksmart. The twist on the trope here is that on the last day of high school two well-behaved, industrious students realise that all the dumb jocks and stoners are all getting into university too because having rich parents or sporting ability are just as valuable as good grades. They have to make up for spending almost all of their teenage years not partying in just one night and, of course, hilarity ensues. The laughs come thick and fast from beginning to end and the party scenes are generally fantastic, despite the obligatory drug tripping scene being a bit of a misfire.
Where to stream: Neon
Weird Science
This John Hughes '80s classic centres on a particularly silly twist on the party movie genre. These dorky teen boys don't just throw a party to be cool and meet girls, they actually create a woman using their awesome hacking skills - and it's her that throws the party and summons a bizarre biker gang to invade it, all so the nerds can show how brave they really are. I love Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller, but Weird Science is the most underrated Hughes film and my personal favourite. A special shoutout must be made to the stellar supporting roles from Robert Downey Jr, Bill Paxton, Michael Berryman and Vernon Wells
Where to stream: Hire from Microsoft / Apple / Google
Superbad
The best teen comedy of the 2000s, this really cemented Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg as a Hollywood comedic force to be reckoned with. Jam-packed with hilarious, very quotable lines of schoolboy humour, it's your classic tale of a pair of dweebs trying to be cool at a party, but done oh so right. While it definitely devolves into sentimentality about the importance of friendship and respecting people of the opposite gender and so on, there's a genuineness that makes that stuff not too annoying. It's also just so bloody funny it's hard to hold anything against it.
Where to stream: Netflix
Dazed and Confused
The films above represent the '80s, '00s and '10s, but this one is an ode to the '70s from Richard Linklater, one of America's greatest filmmakers. It's such a fun movie to watch and it so brilliantly encapsulates teenage-dom. As far as being a party movie, in this one the party is cancelled by the totally square adults before it even starts - so our youngsters have to make their fun where they can, all over the city. There's a groovy, languid pace to it all and a spectacular rock soundtrack. Younger viewers watching it for the first time may delight in seeing early performances from Matthew McConaughey and Ben Affleck, too.
Where to stream: Hire from Apple / Google / Microsoft
