Guys at Parties Like It review.
A revenge movie that has a very specific point to make.
New movie reviews will not contain spoilers.
Guys at Parties Like It
Directed by Colton David Coate and Micah Coate
Written by Colton David Coate
Starring Monica Garcia Bradley, Pablo Sandstrom, Anthony Notarile, Paige Sciarrino, Haulston Mann and Jacqueline O’Kelly
Guys at Parties Like It Review
Rape-revenge movies have been a part of film for at least 65 years. Ingmar Bergman’s The Virgin Spring is most often credited with kicking off the subgenre. The Last House on the Left and I Spit on Your Grave are the most famous (or infamous) of the lot. To say it isn’t the most popular type of film would be an understatement. The truth is that rape-revenge movies aren’t all that far removed from the basic structure of a basic slasher movie. Sexual violence replaces the slaughter of innocents until the final girl overcomes her attacker(s). It’s a more extreme version of both sides of the slasher story. The lead female character is brought down further…and, by overcoming her monster, becomes more empowered. At least, in theory. The lead is often killed instead. Revenge is left to their loved ones.
Guys at Parties Like It follows the basic structure of rape-revenge movies. The first half of the movie is the downfall. Mary (Monica Garcia Bradley) attends a fraternity party looking to get wasted and, perhaps, hook up. She finds a more than willing party in Brad (Anthony Notarile), an awkward incel who needs to lose his virginity before pledge week is over. Egged on by his would-be brothers…and armed with a date rape drug…Brad decides that tonight is the night.
Unlike most stories of this ilk…the first half ends up being more interesting than the second. Mary’s victimhood doesn’t come to an end when she gets away. Instead of empowering her and letting her exact violent vengeance upon the people who wronged her…Guys at Parties Like It runs her in circles. Attempted escapes, recaptures, side characters murdered at will…there’s very little actual revenge afforded to Mary here. The genre has always contained more than its share of punishment for women. The payoff for which is supposed to be the satisfying demise of the bad guys. Guys at Parties Like It gets to that…eventually. Mostly it just continues to punish Mary.
Exploitation? Sure. But Guys at Parties Like It does seem to be using it to make a genuinely interesting point. Mary is a very flawed character. The story goes out of its way to put every victim-blaming scenario that it can think of onto her character. She drinks, does drugs and leads a man to his room. Mary comes to the party in search of the very thing she decides she doesn’t want as it progresses towards the act. She even sticks around long after having to repeatedly shoot down his advances.
Everything from the moment she comes on screen to a brief mid-credit aside positions her case to be thrown out of court by the usual disgusting tactics. Guys at Parties Like It wants to tell the story of “no means no” with no restrictions. None of what comes before Mary rejects Brad should matter, of course. The movie fully understands that it will.
The other target Guys at Parties Like It takes aim at is frat boy culture. It repeatedly mentions that hazing and the frat bro lifestyle aren’t supposed to exist anymore. We all know that it does…regardless of how things are now worded or presented to appear clean to society. This movie is loaded with irredeemable frat bros. That should make for a great series of revenge murders…but the movie deprives us of most of it. Things happen…but not in the way you’d want to provide a satisfying conclusion.
Guys at Parties Like It intentionally loads the story up with problematic characters to further its position that wrong is wrong no matter who it’s happening to. Mary isn’t easy to root for as a person. You do so solely due to her circumstance. It isn’t without purpose. Unfortunately, it leaves Guys at Parties Like It with the same issue that all horror movies full of unlikable characters have. Without a likable character to anchor us…it’s difficult to care about everything that’s going on. A sacrifice made to commit to its difficult message. How much that’s worth is up to you.
The cast does a good job being utterly unlikable. It’s difficult to tell if they’re all doing so on purpose. The truth is that there’s more to dislike about Guys at Parties Like It than there is to enjoy. The message it’s sending is a strong one…and the commitment it makes to it is impressive and respectable. Unfortunately, it lacks enough ideas (or entertaining moments) to achieve anything more than watchable.
Scare Value
Guys at Parties Like It keeps its message simple and to the point. It’s a more specific one than we usually get in revenge movies. It takes the story a long time to ramp up…and then it runs itself in circles most of the way. Still, there’s a boldness to the point the movie is making. It can’t make up for everything…but it’s better than nothing.
2/5
Guys at Parties Like It Link
Streaming on Tubi
