Party Party (film)
Encyclopedia
Party Party is a British comedy film about three friends and their South London crowd.
This crowd includes workers, spivs and young police constables. A British entry into the teenage/youth house party genre typified by John Hughes' films and the late 80s movies of Kid and Play.
The movie was directed by Terry Winsor
and written by Daniel Peacock
and Winsor. It is notable for its soundtrack and as the early work of several of the cast members.
) and his mate, Toby (Daniel Peacock
) are out cruising in South London being followed by three quasi-threatening motorcyclists. At the same time, Larry (Perry Fenwick
) is at Mass with his parents. Just after "Mum" and the Vicar begin bemoaning the nuisance that the motorcyclists make, Johnny and Toby pick up Larry from the front of the church. Through their conversation and those of other characters, we learn that the three are planning to hold a party at Larry's while his parents are away.
Meanwhile, at the police station's gymnasium, Rebecca (Phoebe Nicholls
) is sparring with Sam, physically and verbally. After the workout, in the locker room, she teases Sam and Terry. Out in the squad bay, the sergeant tells them they are not to break up any of the local parties which means they can all go to Larry's party.
Larry fakes illness so that he doesn't have to go with his parents. Toby shows up early and almost blows it by talking about the party in front of Mum and Dad. Once the parents leave, Larry and Toby begin preparing for the guests.
The rest of the movie takes place at the party. Larry is shocked to see Sharon engaged to Tony and keeps trying to spirit her away for a "last fling." Rebecca and Johnny keep using others to get a reaction out of each other including Sam and Bobby. Toby unsuccessfully tries to connect with any female. Shirley is so distraught by her failed attempts to connect with any guy, she plans on drowning herself in the bath tub. Sonya tries to get Tony back. Brenda pursues Sam to no avail until it's clear that Rebecca really doesn't fancy him. Terry succeeds in getting blotto, or "paralytic."
Leading up to the climax, Terry and Shirley hit it off in a full bathtub and Bobby calls Brenda a slag. When Toby defends her honour, Bobby starts to get ready to beat Toby up. Johnny clears everyone out of the kitchen and locks the door leaving Toby alone with Bobby. While Sam and other men cowardly leave Toby in the lurch, Johnny circles back through the back door and sucker punches Bobby, knocking him out. With a wink to Toby, he leaves through the back door. Toby realizes his opportunity after a moment and stages a brawl with appropriate sound effects so that when the others burst in, he is holding his hand and giving the impression that he knocked Bobby out. Now the hero for standing up for her honour, Toby finds himself the object of Brenda's affection. Johnny and Rebecca connect. Shirley and Terry connect. Larry almost connects with Sharon when he is interrupted by Tony and Sonya. Hypocritically, Tony then breaks his engagement with Sharon and goes back to Sonya.
The obligatory "discovery-by-parents" scene ends with a singing of Auld Lang Syne by the Chas and Dave as the cast dances in a New Year's circle.
This crowd includes workers, spivs and young police constables. A British entry into the teenage/youth house party genre typified by John Hughes' films and the late 80s movies of Kid and Play.
The movie was directed by Terry Winsor
Terry Winsor
Terry Winsor is a British film director who has worked with such stars as Sean Bean and Charlie Creed-Miles. He has directed a fair amount of films, TV programs and even a game, for a full list see below, which has led to a reasonable amount of success within the world of film...
and written by Daniel Peacock
Daniel Peacock
Daniel Peacock is an English actor, writer and director best known for his work with the team of The Comic Strip Presents.... He is also known as Danny Peacock.-Acting:...
and Winsor. It is notable for its soundtrack and as the early work of several of the cast members.
Plot
It's New Year's Eve, Johnny Reeve (Karl HowmanKarl Howman
Karl Howman is an English actor and also a British voice-over artist.He is well known but notable to many television viewers for his work as Jacko in the mid-1980's and early-90's BBC TV sitcom Esmonde and Larbey's Brush Strokes and as the title character in the series Mulberry .However Howman first...
) and his mate, Toby (Daniel Peacock
Daniel Peacock
Daniel Peacock is an English actor, writer and director best known for his work with the team of The Comic Strip Presents.... He is also known as Danny Peacock.-Acting:...
) are out cruising in South London being followed by three quasi-threatening motorcyclists. At the same time, Larry (Perry Fenwick
Perry Fenwick
Perry Fenwick is an English film and television actor. He has one sister, Tracey, and two brothers, Faron and Lee. He is, also, the second cousin of Georgina Hagen, who played Lauren Waters in the series of Britannia High....
) is at Mass with his parents. Just after "Mum" and the Vicar begin bemoaning the nuisance that the motorcyclists make, Johnny and Toby pick up Larry from the front of the church. Through their conversation and those of other characters, we learn that the three are planning to hold a party at Larry's while his parents are away.
Meanwhile, at the police station's gymnasium, Rebecca (Phoebe Nicholls
Phoebe Nicholls
Phoebe Nicholls is an English film, television, and stage actor. She is known for her roles as Cordelia Flyte in Brideshead Revisited and as the mother of John Merrick in The Elephant Man....
) is sparring with Sam, physically and verbally. After the workout, in the locker room, she teases Sam and Terry. Out in the squad bay, the sergeant tells them they are not to break up any of the local parties which means they can all go to Larry's party.
Larry fakes illness so that he doesn't have to go with his parents. Toby shows up early and almost blows it by talking about the party in front of Mum and Dad. Once the parents leave, Larry and Toby begin preparing for the guests.
The rest of the movie takes place at the party. Larry is shocked to see Sharon engaged to Tony and keeps trying to spirit her away for a "last fling." Rebecca and Johnny keep using others to get a reaction out of each other including Sam and Bobby. Toby unsuccessfully tries to connect with any female. Shirley is so distraught by her failed attempts to connect with any guy, she plans on drowning herself in the bath tub. Sonya tries to get Tony back. Brenda pursues Sam to no avail until it's clear that Rebecca really doesn't fancy him. Terry succeeds in getting blotto, or "paralytic."
Leading up to the climax, Terry and Shirley hit it off in a full bathtub and Bobby calls Brenda a slag. When Toby defends her honour, Bobby starts to get ready to beat Toby up. Johnny clears everyone out of the kitchen and locks the door leaving Toby alone with Bobby. While Sam and other men cowardly leave Toby in the lurch, Johnny circles back through the back door and sucker punches Bobby, knocking him out. With a wink to Toby, he leaves through the back door. Toby realizes his opportunity after a moment and stages a brawl with appropriate sound effects so that when the others burst in, he is holding his hand and giving the impression that he knocked Bobby out. Now the hero for standing up for her honour, Toby finds himself the object of Brenda's affection. Johnny and Rebecca connect. Shirley and Terry connect. Larry almost connects with Sharon when he is interrupted by Tony and Sonya. Hypocritically, Tony then breaks his engagement with Sharon and goes back to Sonya.
The obligatory "discovery-by-parents" scene ends with a singing of Auld Lang Syne by the Chas and Dave as the cast dances in a New Year's circle.
Cast
- Daniel PeacockDaniel PeacockDaniel Peacock is an English actor, writer and director best known for his work with the team of The Comic Strip Presents.... He is also known as Danny Peacock.-Acting:...
- Toby, the Sad Sack of the trio, who has a huge crush on Brenda - Karl HowmanKarl HowmanKarl Howman is an English actor and also a British voice-over artist.He is well known but notable to many television viewers for his work as Jacko in the mid-1980's and early-90's BBC TV sitcom Esmonde and Larbey's Brush Strokes and as the title character in the series Mulberry .However Howman first...
- Johnny Reeve, the operator and ladies' man who is on the prowl - Perry FenwickPerry FenwickPerry Fenwick is an English film and television actor. He has one sister, Tracey, and two brothers, Faron and Lee. He is, also, the second cousin of Georgina Hagen, who played Lauren Waters in the series of Britannia High....
- Larry, the organizer of the party who was expecting to have it off with his sometime girlfriend Sharon - Sean ChapmanSean ChapmanSean Chapman is an English-born actor. He is best known for playing Frank Cotton in Clive Barker's Hellraiser, and its sequel, Hellbound: Hellraiser II. He is also known for voicing the character Sgt...
- Sam Diggins, a PC who has a thing for Rebecca yet also flirts with Brenda - Phoebe NichollsPhoebe NichollsPhoebe Nicholls is an English film, television, and stage actor. She is known for her roles as Cordelia Flyte in Brideshead Revisited and as the mother of John Merrick in The Elephant Man....
- Rebecca, a female PC who likes toying with Sam and Bobby but has a thing for Johnny - Gary OlsenGary OlsenGary Olsen was an English actor.Olsen was born in London and lived with an aunt and uncle, after losing both his parents at an early age. He attended the Archbishop Tenison's Church of England School in Kennington...
- Terry, a PC who wants to get so drunk that he is "paralytic" and can forget his ex-girlfriend after their three-year relationship just ended - Clive MantleClive Mantle-Early life and education:Mantle was born in Barnet, Hertfordshire. He was a pupil at Kimbolton School, Cambridgeshire and a chorister in St John's College Choir for four years...
- Bobby a physically large neighborhood bully who was arrested by Rebecca a week prior for brawling in the streets, likes bragging about fighting - Caroline QuentinCaroline QuentinCaroline Jones known by her stage name Caroline Quentin, is an English actress. Quentin became known for her television appearances in Men Behaving Badly, playing Dorothy, and playing Maddy Magellan in Jonathan Creek for three years.-Early life:...
- Shirley, a cute, plump, brunette, and sensitive girl who has yet to have a serious boyfriend and is best mates with Brenda - Kim ThomsonKim ThomsonKim Thomson is an English actress who has appeared on stage, television and film since the early 1980s in both the United Kingdom and the United States.-Early life:...
- Brenda, a cute, thin, and blonde girl, best mate of Shirley, has a thing for Sam and the organist at the church. - Kate Williams - Mum, stock British Comedy mother, has to put up with a husband with a wandering eye.
- Kenneth Farrington - Dad, has a collection of porn in the pottery shed and flirts blatantly with other women at each New Year's Eve party.
- Philip Martin BrownPhilip Martin BrownPhilip Martin Brown is an English actor, born in Manchester. He has starred in many TV shows and movies in a career that has spanned nearly four decades...
- Tony, a lesser mate of Larry's who used to date Tonya, but just got engaged to Sharon. - Annabel Mednick - Sonya, Tony's ex-girlfriend who wants him back now
- Sallyanne Law - Sharon, Larry's ex-sometime girlfriend who is now engaged to Tony
- Sarah London - Sally
- Paul Mari - Phil
- Harvey Hillyer - Den
- Michele Winstanley - Christine
- Peter Lovstrom - Steve
- Robin Hayter - Pete
- Debby BishopDebby BishopDebby Bishop is a British actress. She is probably best known to television viewers for her appearance in the second series of the crime drama Widows, having taken over the part of Bella O'Reilly from Eva Mottley....
- Skirts (as Debbie Bishop) - Nick BerryNick BerryNicholas "Nick" Berry is a British television actor and musician. He is best known for his roles as Simon Wicks in the British soap opera EastEnders from 1985 to 1990 and as PC Nick Rowan in the British drama television series Heartbeat from 1992 to 1998.-Career:Berry started acting at the age of...
- Ralph - Ann Somers - Ralph's Girl
- Sharon Maiden - Steph
- Geoffrey Drew - Vicar
- Graham Weston - Sergeant
- Pat Ashton - Johnny's Mum
Soundtrack
- "Party Party"(E. Costello) - Elvis Costello and The Attractions with the Royal Grand Horns
- "Run Rudolph Run" (J. Marks and M. Brody) - Dave EdmundsDave EdmundsDavid 'Dave' Edmunds is a Welsh singer, guitarist and record producer. Although he is primarily associated with Pub rock and New Wave, and had numerous hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has always been towards 1950s style rock and roll.-Early bands:As a teenager Edmunds first...
- "Little Town Flirt" (Shannon/MacKenzie) - Altered ImagesAltered ImagesAltered Images were an early 1980s Scottish New Wave / post-punk band. Led by lead singer Clare Grogan, the band branched into mainstream pop music, and had a string of chart hits between 1981 and 1983.-Early career:...
- "Yakety Yak" (J. Lieber/M. Stoller) - Bad MannersBad MannersBad Manners are an English 2 Tone ska band. They quickly became the novelty favourites of the UK pop scene through their bald outsized frontman's on-stage antics, earning early exposure through their Top of The Pops exploits and an appearance in the live film documentary, Dance Craze.They were at...
- "Tutti Frutti" (Penniman/Labostrie) - Sting
- "No Feelings" (G. Matlock / J. Rotten / P. Cook / S. Jones) - BananaramaBananaramaBananarama are an English female pop duo who have had success on the pop and dance charts since 1982. Rather than relying on a two part harmony, the duo generally sings in unison, as do their background vocalists. Although there have been line-up changes, the group enjoyed their most popular...
- "Driving In My Car" (Mike "Monsieur Barso" Barson) - MadnessMadness (band)In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts...
- "Band Of Gold" (Dunbar/Wayne) - Modern RomanceModern Romance-Cast:* Albert Brooks .... Robert Cole* Kathryn Harrold .... Mary Harvard* Bruno Kirby .... Jay-Plot:Robert Cole is a Hollywood film editor right in the middle of cutting a new science fiction film with George Kennedy. His relationship with very patient bank executive Mary Harvard is caught...
- "Elizabethan Reggae" (R. Binge) - Bad Manners
- "No Woman, No Cry" (V. Ford) - Pauline BlackPauline BlackPauline Black in Romford is a British singer, actress and author most notable as the lead singer of The Selecter. Black was born to an Anglo-Jewish mother and Nigerian father. She was adopted by a white middle-aged couple and given the name Pauline Vickers...
- "Need Your Love So Bad" (Little Willie John) - Sting
- "The Man Who Sold The World" (D. Bowie) - Midge UreMidge UreJames "Midge" Ure, OBE is a Scottish guitarist, singer, keyboard player, and songwriter...
- "Auld Lang Syne" (Trad. Arranged by Hodges/Daniel Peacock) - Chas and DaveChas and DaveChas & Dave are an English pop rock duo, most notable as creators and performers of a musical style labelled "rockney", which mixes "pub singalong, music-hall humour, boogie-woogie piano and pre-Beatles rock 'n' roll"...
- "Enola Gay" (Andy McCluskey) - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the DarkOrchestral Manoeuvres in the DarkOrchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are a synthpop group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula, England...