This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Only reason im not giving this full marks is because I wasn't sure where it was going for a moment. It all becomes a bit messy for a second. In the end though it's a neatly wrapped greek tragedy with a great cast. Loved it!

An all-star cast shine a little light on the true story of the internal power struggle in the days following the death of Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin.It all starts innocently enough - after the first shots of a broken Janet (Thomas) pointing a gun at the camera - with vol-au-vents in the oven. The titular party is meant to celebrate her rise to be the Government minister for an unnamed political opposition, but her husband Bill (Spall) doesn't seem to be himself as he sits in the living room nursing a glass of red wine. As more guests arrive to join the festivities, long kept secrets begin to tumble into the light culminating in an ending that will leave you laughing over the end credits.And that's what surprised me the most; it's a comedy, I was expecting that, but I wasn't expecting it to be as funny as it was knowing it's also an ultimately tragic story. The stinging one-liners and friendly barbs coming from her guests (who happen to work for her rival, politically speaking) hide the bile and baggage they have each brought to this once-jovial event. Even the host has secrets of her own which she keeps well-hidden (at least from her guests) until the gut-busting closing scenes.The whole film takes place in a house and its tiny patio garden, meaning the audience feel as trapped in the goldfish bowl of upper-middle class pomp as the guests do by the time the third or fourth revelation is revealed. Throughout the hour-long ordeal (for it is only 71 minutes including credits) Bill is constantly fidgeting with his record player, swapping a jazz LP for a bluesy vinyl, thereby giving the soundtrack to the film as the drama unfolds on screen in real time.The Party is a film which some will like and some will loath, depending on whether you can sit through a 'talky piece' and pick out the wittiness. The cast is superb, the comedy is handled well among the dramatic moments, and the entire film culminates at the end to leave the audience reeling from the final reveal ... with a gasp and a laugh.Best Quote: "Tickle an aromatherapist and you find a fascist."

Short and very much to the point with some fine lines. The dialogue is tight and focused on the cliches of each characters' beliefs, delivered with excellent, pent up performances, deliciously, and unflatteringly revealed in intense black and white close ups. A small group of self-regarding, thinking bourgeoisie, each with their own set of life-style ideals, each complacently convinced of their own brilliance, all thinking they are right and very right-on, meet each other in the raw. Secrets, lies and betrayal lurk slightly beneath the surface of their self-satisfied lives. Yes, this does pick on the contemporary, unquestionable, politically-correct shibboleths of a particular group of people, admittedly in an exaggerated and very focused way, but how better to really get to the soul of their self-obsessed narcissism. Look a little deeper, though, and it mirrors much that is going wrong with our media-obsessed, sound bite, reality tv, celebrity worshiping, disfunctional times. It could be called 'close up' because that's what it is, a close up look at our own vanities. Modern theatre at its best, and brilliantly brought to the big screen.

A simple to understand film, not overlong, that is laugh out loud funny, well worth a watch.