The Party Never Stops: Diary of a Binge Drinker
Encyclopedia
The Party Never Stops: Diary of a Binge Drinker is a 2007 television movie
starring Sara Paxton
, Michael Ian Farrell, Alexia Fast, Chelsea Hobbs
and Nancy Travis
. It was directed by David Wu
and written by Matt Dorff. The movie premiered on Lifetime Television
.
. While she moves away to college for her first year, Jesse struggles with drinking and often finds herself giving into the pressures of her peers. She becomes enamored with the same party lifestyle that her female peers have all taken a liking to and gradually starts paying more attention to partying than she does schoolwork
and athletics. As a result, her relationship with her mother suffers, as well as her grades. She finds herself lying, sleeping with different men, drinking and driving, and pushing away the people who care about her.
Angry and concerned, her mother warns Jesse that if she continues to drink and behave carelessly, she will be out of school. Affected by the warning and realizing what's best for her, she stops drinking for a while, and directs her attention back to school; until she goes to San Diego, CA. On her trip to the tropical country, she gets really drunk and faces the world - topless, on a tv program similar to Girls Gone Wild
. Following this wild vacation, Jesse receives a call from her sister, letting her know that some guys at school were making fun of her for seeing her topless on spring break. Sadie, Jesse's younger sister, shows their mother the video, who consults her best friend about her daughter's erratic and extreme behaviors. Her friend then remarks that Jesse is a binge drinker.
On the last day of the trimester, Jesse's roommate Shanna goes to a college party after drinking on the roof of the building. Jesse stays the night at her boyfriend's house and returns to her dorm in the morning. Upon arrival, Jesse realizes that Shanna is gone and is still at the frat house where she spent the night. When Jessie finds Shanna she tries to wake her up and realizes that she is not just sleeping; she is dead. Shanna's lifeless body lay on the couch, unbeknownst to her peers, who were with her the night before and assumed she was just sleeping. The college holds a candlelight service after Jesse tells Shanna's parents how it all happened. After the service, life continues on as usual, but Jesse learns a lot and keeps in mind the dangers of binge drinking and what happened to her good friend. It ends with her playing the recording of Shanna's voice while going for a jog
.
Jesse is a college freshman. Prior to post-secondary school, she was well behaved and largely considered a "good girl". She had a strong relationship with her mother and was a promising long distance track runner. She shares a dorm room with a party girl named Shanna. The two form a strong bond that extends beyond their drinking. Jesse is often faced with the pressure of drinking and as a result, gives into it. There is a constant struggle between the expectations of her mother and the pressures of her friends; her friends usually win.
April Brenner
Jesse's mother. April's husband died less than a year ago and as a result, she has a very strong bond with Jesse. She is trying to deal with her daughter going away to school. It is like a second loss in her life. She is often shown being very concerned about Jesse and suspects that something is wrong with her. When April learns of Jesse's drinking, she begins researching binge drinking and becomes a support system for her daughter and helps her to get over her problem.
Sadie Brenner
Sadie is Jesse's younger sister. She has little air time. It is clear that she did not think that her sister had a problem originally because she was such a "good girl'" before.
Shanna
Shanna is Jesse's roommate. She is not new to partying and as a result can often control herself better than Jesse. However, Shanna succombs to the dangers of binge drinking and dies of alcohol poisoning at the end of the film. She is discovered by Jesse, lying dead on a couch in a frat house after a night of binge drinking.
Colin
He is one of Jesse's classmates who later becomes a good friend and then a love interest. He doesn't party. It is later revealed that he doesn't party because at one point, he took it too far and as result lost his scholarship, job, girlfriend, and future. He recognizes Jesse's dangerous behaviour and helps her get her life in order.
Tyler
Tyler is the old-looking male at the Sigma Phi parties. He lets Jesse drive his car because he is too drunk to drive and she runs into a fire hydrant.
Liz
One of Jesse's drinking buddies who lives down the hall in the same dorm. She likes to party and is responsible for giving Jesse her first sip of Champagne. She refers to her friends as "my girls" instead of by their first names.
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
starring Sara Paxton
Sara Paxton
Sara Paxton is an American actress, model and singer. She grew up in California and began acting at an early age, appearing in many minor roles in both films and television shows, before coming to wider renown in 2004, after playing the title role in the series Darcy's Wild Life and Sarah Borden...
, Michael Ian Farrell, Alexia Fast, Chelsea Hobbs
Chelsea Hobbs
Chelsea Hobbs is a Canadian actress and singer. She has appeared in such roles as Gerda in the 2002 film Snow Queen and the ABC Family teen drama Make It or Break It as Emily Kmetko.-Career:...
and Nancy Travis
Nancy Travis
Nancy Ann Travis is an American actress. She is known for her roles in films Three Men and a Baby and its sequel, Three Men and a Little Lady , Married to the Mob , Air America , Internal Affairs , So I Married an Axe Murderer , Greedy , and Fluke...
. It was directed by David Wu
David Wu
David Wu is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1999 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party.The district includes most of Portland west of the Willamette River, as well as all of Yamhill, Columbia, Clatsop, and Washington Counties...
and written by Matt Dorff. The movie premiered on Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
.
Plot Summary
This movie is about a blonde, blue-eyed, "All-American" 18 year old girl named Jesse Brenner and her experiences as a college freshmanFreshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
. While she moves away to college for her first year, Jesse struggles with drinking and often finds herself giving into the pressures of her peers. She becomes enamored with the same party lifestyle that her female peers have all taken a liking to and gradually starts paying more attention to partying than she does schoolwork
Schoolwork
Schoolwork is work assigned by a teacher, school, or other educational institution. The term generally refers to both work completed at home , as well as work completed during class . Typically, schoolwork is done in class, during the time period allotted by the instructor...
and athletics. As a result, her relationship with her mother suffers, as well as her grades. She finds herself lying, sleeping with different men, drinking and driving, and pushing away the people who care about her.
Angry and concerned, her mother warns Jesse that if she continues to drink and behave carelessly, she will be out of school. Affected by the warning and realizing what's best for her, she stops drinking for a while, and directs her attention back to school; until she goes to San Diego, CA. On her trip to the tropical country, she gets really drunk and faces the world - topless, on a tv program similar to Girls Gone Wild
Girls Gone Wild
The Girls Gone Wild franchise, created by Joe Francis, is a video series by the production company Mantra Films, Inc., which is headquartered in Santa Monica, California.-Content:...
. Following this wild vacation, Jesse receives a call from her sister, letting her know that some guys at school were making fun of her for seeing her topless on spring break. Sadie, Jesse's younger sister, shows their mother the video, who consults her best friend about her daughter's erratic and extreme behaviors. Her friend then remarks that Jesse is a binge drinker.
On the last day of the trimester, Jesse's roommate Shanna goes to a college party after drinking on the roof of the building. Jesse stays the night at her boyfriend's house and returns to her dorm in the morning. Upon arrival, Jesse realizes that Shanna is gone and is still at the frat house where she spent the night. When Jessie finds Shanna she tries to wake her up and realizes that she is not just sleeping; she is dead. Shanna's lifeless body lay on the couch, unbeknownst to her peers, who were with her the night before and assumed she was just sleeping. The college holds a candlelight service after Jesse tells Shanna's parents how it all happened. After the service, life continues on as usual, but Jesse learns a lot and keeps in mind the dangers of binge drinking and what happened to her good friend. It ends with her playing the recording of Shanna's voice while going for a jog
Jogging
Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running.-Definition:...
.
Characters
Jesse BrennerJesse is a college freshman. Prior to post-secondary school, she was well behaved and largely considered a "good girl". She had a strong relationship with her mother and was a promising long distance track runner. She shares a dorm room with a party girl named Shanna. The two form a strong bond that extends beyond their drinking. Jesse is often faced with the pressure of drinking and as a result, gives into it. There is a constant struggle between the expectations of her mother and the pressures of her friends; her friends usually win.
April Brenner
Jesse's mother. April's husband died less than a year ago and as a result, she has a very strong bond with Jesse. She is trying to deal with her daughter going away to school. It is like a second loss in her life. She is often shown being very concerned about Jesse and suspects that something is wrong with her. When April learns of Jesse's drinking, she begins researching binge drinking and becomes a support system for her daughter and helps her to get over her problem.
Sadie Brenner
Sadie is Jesse's younger sister. She has little air time. It is clear that she did not think that her sister had a problem originally because she was such a "good girl'" before.
Shanna
Shanna is Jesse's roommate. She is not new to partying and as a result can often control herself better than Jesse. However, Shanna succombs to the dangers of binge drinking and dies of alcohol poisoning at the end of the film. She is discovered by Jesse, lying dead on a couch in a frat house after a night of binge drinking.
Colin
He is one of Jesse's classmates who later becomes a good friend and then a love interest. He doesn't party. It is later revealed that he doesn't party because at one point, he took it too far and as result lost his scholarship, job, girlfriend, and future. He recognizes Jesse's dangerous behaviour and helps her get her life in order.
Tyler
Tyler is the old-looking male at the Sigma Phi parties. He lets Jesse drive his car because he is too drunk to drive and she runs into a fire hydrant.
Liz
One of Jesse's drinking buddies who lives down the hall in the same dorm. She likes to party and is responsible for giving Jesse her first sip of Champagne. She refers to her friends as "my girls" instead of by their first names.