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How to Talk to Girls at Parties (film)

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How to Talk to Girls at Parties
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohn Cameron Mitchell
Screenplay by
Based on"How to Talk to Girls at Parties"
by Neil Gaiman
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyFrank G. DeMarco
Edited byBrian A. Kates
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 21 May 2017 (2017-05-21) (Cannes)
  • 11 May 2018 (2018-05-11) (United Kingdom)
  • 25 May 2018 (2018-05-25) (United States)
Running time
102 minutes[1]
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$385,733[2]

How to Talk to Girls at Parties is a 2017 science fiction romantic comedy film directed by John Cameron Mitchell from a screenplay he co-wrote with Philippa Goslett, based on the 2006 short story of the same name by Neil Gaiman. The film stars Elle Fanning, Alex Sharp, Ruth Wilson, Matt Lucas and Nicole Kidman. Principal photography began on 9 November 2015 in Sheffield.

The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on 21 May 2017. It was released in the United Kingdom on 11 May 2018 by StudioCanal UK and in the United States on 25 May 2018 by A24.

Premise

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A young punk named Enn and his best friends stumble upon a bizarre gathering of teenagers from another planet, visiting Earth to complete a mysterious rite of passage. Enn falls madly in love with Zan, a beautiful and rebellious alien who becomes fascinated with him. Together, they embark on a delirious adventure through the kinetic punk rock world of 1970s London, inadvertently setting off a series of events that leads to the ultimate showdown between punks and aliens.

Cast

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  • Elle Fanning as Zan, a rebellious young alien curious about Earth
  • Alex Sharp as Enn, a punk comic book artist and Zan's love interest
  • Nicole Kidman as Queen Boadicea, an old-school punk who manages the local punk hangout
  • Matt Lucas as PT Wain, one of the alien leaders
  • Ruth Wilson as PT Stella, one of the alien leaders
  • AJ Lewis as Vic, Enn's best friend
  • Ethan Lawrence as John, Enn's other best friend
  • Edward Petherbridge as PT First, the alien supreme leader
  • Joanna Scanlan as Marion, Enn's mother
  • Tom Brooke as PT Waldo, Zan's parent, one of the alien leaders
  • Martin Tomlinson as Slap, a punk singer managed by Boadicea
  • Rory Nolan as young Enn, Zan and Enn's son

Filming

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Principal photography on the film began on 9 November 2015 in Sheffield, which would be standing in for London.[3]

Release

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In September 2015, A24 acquired US distribution rights to the film.[4] It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on 21 May 2017.[5][6][7] It was released in the United Kingdom on 11 May 2018 by StudioCanal[8] and in the United States on 25 May 2018.[9]

Reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 48% based on 98 reviews, with an average rating of 5.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "How to Talk to Girls at Parties has energy and ambition, but is ultimately too unfocused to do much with either – or develop its themes into a cohesive whole."[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 50 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[11]

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter stated that despite the charming characters of Elle Fanning (a curious alien) and Nicole Kidman (a nihilistic low priestess), its attempts to "add political substance feels less than half-cooked" and in effect sacrifices "narrative cohesion" and "overcomplicates" Neil Gaiman's 18-page story.[12] Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote, "The film enunciates its raw themes—punk means individuality! the aliens are all about conformity!—but never begins to figure out how to embody those themes in a narrative that could lure in the audience."[13]

References

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  1. ^ Jagernauth, Kevin (13 April 2017). "Sofia Coppola, Todd Haynes, Michael Haneke, Bong-Joon Ho & 'Twin Peaks' Lead 2017 Cannes Film Festival Line Up". The Playlist. Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  2. ^ "How to Talk to Girls at Parties (2024)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  3. ^ "On the Set for 11/13/15: Sigourney Weaver and Michelle Rodriguez Start on 'Tomboy', Bella Thorne and Patrick Schwarzenegger Wrap 'Midnight Sun'". SSN Insider. 13 November 2015. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  4. ^ Jaafar, Ali (15 September 2015). "John Cameron Mitchell's 'How To Talk To Girls At Parties' Acquired By A24 – Toronto". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 24 March 2017. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  5. ^ "The 2017 Official Selection". Cannes Film Festival. 13 April 2017. Archived from the original on 14 April 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  6. ^ Alvarez, Joe; Orlova-Alvarez, Tamara (22 May 2017). "How to Chat to Girls at Parties Premiere at the Cannes Film Festival". Ikon London Magazine. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  7. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy; Evans, Greg (13 April 2017). "Cannes Lineup: Todd Haynes, Sofia Coppola, Noah Baumbach, 'Twin Peaks'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  8. ^ "How to Talk to Girls At Parties". Launching Films. Archived from the original on 16 January 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  9. ^ Radish, Christina (23 May 2018). "John Cameron Mitchell on His Alien-Meets-Punk Movie 'How to Talk to Girls at Parties'". Collider. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  10. ^ "How to Talk to Girls at Parties". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  11. ^ "How to Talk to Girls at Parties". Metacritic. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  12. ^ Rooney, David (21 May 2017). "'How to Talk to Girls at Parties': Film Review | Cannes 2017". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  13. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (21 May 2017). "Film Review: 'How to Talk to Girls at Parties'". Variety. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
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