225. How To Talk To Girls At Parties; movie review

HOW TO TALK TO GIRLS AT PARTIES
Cert 15
103 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language, sex references

Aliens invade the 1970s punk rock scene? That sounds an unlikely backdrop for an amiable romance, doesn't it?
And yet, John Cameron Mitchell's How To Talk To Girls At Parties hooked me.
This may be down to the music, the nostalgia backdrops or that Alex Sharp and Elle Fanning have an awkward chemistry which is rather appealing.
Sharp plays Enn, who is out of step at school and at home but, thankfully, has a couple of mates with whom he shares a love of punk rock.
Following a gig, organised by the Vivienne Westwood-alike (Nicole Kidman) they go to what they think is going to be a wild party at a big house.
What they find becomes a mind-tripping experience with what appears to be a cult but turn out to aliens on a fact-finding mission to earth.
Among the extraterrestrials is a girl (Elle Fanning) who wants to immerse herself more our world's culture than is scheduled on her itinerary.
Therefore, much of the movie is centred on the attraction of her character and Enn with their initial sweet misunderstandings turning to more daring escapades.
Let's face it, Mitchell's film is a frippery and is probably caught between two different audiences because 70s music fans will find the love story a little too offbeat and teenagers, who might appreciate the romance, could find the soundtrack passe.
It is also surprising in that its biggest names are rather wasted. Kidman is only memorable for a very dodgy Cockney accent, while Matt Lucas is the victim of even weirder casting as an alien reactionary.
But despite it being utterly surreal and having clear flaws, I still fell for the wide-eyed liaison between the characters of Sharp and Fanning.
Perhaps they just caught me in a good mood.

Reasons to watch: The 1970s references
Reasons to avoid: Probably a bit too quirky for some

Laughs: Chuckles rather than laughs
Jumps: None 
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7/10

Director quote - John Cameron Mitchell: "It's a Romeo and Juliet story with punks and aliens instead of Montagues and Capulets."

The big question - Were old people really that fuddy duddy in 1977?

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