[yasr_overall_rating]
An alien touring the galaxy breaks away from her group and meets two young inhabitants of the most dangerous place in the universe: the London suburb of Croydon.
Based on a short story by Neil Gaiman and distributed by A24 (the resident ‘not-your-average-movie’ company), you can expect things to get pretty weird. Considering how weird this movie is, I think it’s pretty darn close to the short story and ultimately is that Neil Gaiman brand of weirdness: abstract and concrete. A teenage youth, Enn (Alex Sharp), winds up in an alien arrival party with his mates one night after a punk show. He befriends the alien Zan (Elle Fanning), teaching her the meaning of independence by showing her punk rock.
It’s a simplistic plot. One that eschews grandiose ‘save the world’ alien plots to hone in on the much more simple ‘will they or won’t they’ plot. Ripe with unique characters, this movie sings when said characters do all their work. It’s fun to watch Enn and Zan “flirt” or to watch John try and dance with the aliens or Mikey think he’s getting laid. In fact, the contrast between the two cultures (and their players – our characters) is the most interesting thing in this flick.
It’s fun to watch a dirty, mop-headed punk rocker in punk accouterment meet clean, monosyllabic, chorus-y alien beings (that look like humans.) By having something to compare the whole punk culture with we see underneath its trappings of lip piercings, heavy eyeshadow, fishnets, and aggressive head bobbing. It’s a culture of rebellion, I know but I finally felt it somewhere around the halfway point of this movie. Even though I spend the entire film having Alex Sharp explain it to Elle Fanning I felt it right around the center. Unfortunately, that’s not all of the movie.
What I think audiences lost in this film is the fact that it is, at heart, a comedy. We get sidetracked by the Gaiman-esque abstraction (weird dream sequences of some protean life form past life – imagine a mosquito poking a bubble repeatedly until it ejaculates.) We’re treated to a plethora of oddball and obscure moments both within the world of the film and within the film itself. I can certainly appreciate the work that went into making such a visually enticing sequence, but it lasts too long. I’m not talking some trippy editing number either. I’m talking something Gaspar Noe-influenced sequence Adult Swim would air.
Thankfully, the film doesn’t lose itself in its abstraction (like Gaiman novels can do from time to time) and really hones back in on its protagonists. With Elle Fanning playing the absolute spaciest space cadet (leavened with bits of utter joy and pure sadness) played against Alex Sharp’s boy-pretending-to-be-cool charm they make for a cute couple. Nicole Kidman turns up the volume as the Punk Queen (and stand-in mom for Elle Fanning) bringing a level of seriousness to an otherwise ludicrous story. It’s a movie that largely tries very hard to nail its theme. Which it does, but audiences are gonna have to hang in there.
Look, I liked this movie but that’s because I laughed. It’s okay to laugh. In fact, you’re supposed to laugh. Nothing about these sequences suggest you should be taking them utterly too serious. I would suggest that the movie’s better if you laugh more. With purely abstract editing sequences salting over the abstract story. “How to Talk to Girls at Parties” lasts in your consciousness. Not as something that changed your life, but definitely something that you remember. Check it out in theaters if you’re a fan of the trippy and artful, but know that you should not be taking this movie too seriously. Don’t fall into that trap. It’s a joy. It’s a riot. It’s a coming-of-age story set in punk suburban London anchored by aliens. What more do you need to know?
In theaters Friday, June 1st
