Highball (2000)

Quirky little comedy that's actually quite funny

This film was shot in only six days--and it looks it. The one set of a couple's apartment is not very attractive to look at, but who cares. It suits the needs of the film. What I like about the quirky "Highball" is the weird comic writing and some inspired performances. The movie was written and directed by Noah Baumbach, whom you may know as the writer/director of "The Squid and the Whale" and more recently, "Margot at the Wedding". "Highball" is from 1997, and Mr. Baumbach chose to put two different aliases on the film as the writer and the director. Hopefully he's not ashamed of this early flick of his because it's quite enjoyable.

The story is simple. Young couple throw three parties over the course of a year. First is a birthday party for a very odd friend. The second is a hoot of a Halloween party (the funniest sequence). And last is a New Year's Eve party. Their friends come over and people fight and kiss and play games and eat. And that's about it.

The cast is very diverse: Justine Bateman (who is excellent as a wallflower who later blossoms), director Peter Bogdanovich (who is delightful as he quotes from various movies), Ally Sheedy and Rae Dawn Chong (who both play themselves), Eric Stoltz, Annabella Sciorra and Chris Eigeman.

If you're looking for something different and fun, check out "Highball". It's a kooky little gem of a flick. December 28, 2007

Funniest Movie Ever

This is the funniest movie I have ever seen I thought it was much better than Kicking and Screaming December 20, 2006

A miserably tedious and pointless film

Ignore the blurb on the VHS box, the movie is not about a couple's hot parties with hip friends, it is about a couple's awful parties with jerk friends. Now, that might not be a bad thing -- in fact, I think it could be easier to make a good movie about bad parties than about good ones -- but the advertising is dishonest.

Much worse, though, is the the pointless and boring character of the movie, which is about a bunch of stupid or verbally sadistic "friends" who mostly don't like each other. While I've known cliques that keep getting together despite frictions between some members, it's inconceivable that these people would keep getting together for these abusive and tedious holiday events. Also, the couples' relationships, which come and go between these parties, are unexplained and mostly unexplored, as are some individuals' character changes, and indeed, almost everything that doesn't happen at the parties themselves. July 7, 2005

Excellent movie

This movie is gorgeous. We consider ourselves connoisseurs of movies, and this is one of only a few that we own. If you get subtle yet truly funny comedy, own this movie. December 17, 2004

Better than Mr Jealousy - not as good as Kicking &Screaming

If possible, view this on DVD - you'll want to cue up several different scenes. Yes. The lighting is poor, the acting is hurried, the set is something from an old high school musical (probably from Western NY). It was filmed in a week - don't kill the messenger. Nonetheless, if it's 1 am, and you can't sleep - THIS is the movie to watch. Don't expect 'Caddyshack', or 'Old School'- some parts ARE hysterical, but its humor is subtle (particularly the mannerisms of certain characters, plot holes that aren't explained, etc) - which is precisely why one can view it over and over again.

NOTE: If for no other reason - you must see this film, for the scene of the two giant lizards conversing over work at the Halloween party. Never on celluloid has the "F" word been so prefectly placed.

August 8, 2004

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