Class warfare is nothing new in film and television. Take the Academy Award-winning Parasite, for example, or HBO’s The White Lotus. Audiences just cannot seem to get enough of the rich being skewered by the working class. Now, French cinema is making its contribution to this increasingly popular (and timely) subgenre with the rowdy comedy The Party’s Over!.
Mehdi (Sami Outabali) is on vacation with his girlfriend Garance (Noée Abita) and her uber-rich and entitled parents Phillipe (Laurent Lafitte) and Laurence (Élodie Bouchez) at their lavish holiday villa in Southern France. The family usually only spends three months of the year there, with the property being looked after by caretakers Tony (Ramzy Bedia) and Nadine (Laure Calamy), as well as their daughter Marylou (Mahia Zrouki). Phillipe and Laurence have Tony and Nadine at their beck and call, and more than often overwork them. For example, Phillipe interrupts Marylou’s birthday celebration with her family so that Tony can unclog his sink, which ends up with Tony getting drenched in feces. They also like to rub their wealth in their employee’s faces, buying a brand new iPhone for Marylou on her birthday after her own parents get her a refurbished one. One night, after a few too many drinks, Tony snaps at his employers, tired of being taken advantage of, underpaid and disrespected. This launches an all-out war between the two families, with Mehdi caught in the middle of all the chaos.
From the get-go, The Party’s Over! establishes the luxurious and seductive world of its wealthy characters, with gorgeous looking sets and scenery, bright colours and a stylish electronic score. It captures the bubble they live in, compared to the small living quarters of the modest and hardworking Tony and Nadine. The juxtaposition is clear, and sets the tone for the rest of the film. Once the conflict between the two families ensues, the comedy builds, particularly in an over-the-top and slapstick fashion. Guns become involved, as well as some power-shifting toe sucking (a strange statement which will make a lot more sense once viewers have seen the film). However, it consistently feels like the concept is waiting to be pushed further and that more could have been done with it. The chaotic parts are certainly the most entertaining, and the filmmakers definitely missed the opportunity to push more boundaries and go even further with the craziness at hand. This leaves the viewers waiting for something more to happen, which never quite arrives
Mehdi, a law graduate who is also an outsider, works well as the film’s protagonist. He acts as a negotiator between the two families and sympathises with Tony and Nadine. He’s the most empathetic and likable character in the film, with everyone else essentially being shady in some sort of way. By the end, you’re not rooting for either of the families, making the themes feel slightly muddled. Previously mentioned titles Parasite and The White Lotus worked so well because of the complex characters at their core, whereas here, they lack the depth to become truly memorable or multidimensional. The film does end with a pretty clear message, but feels underwhelming in its resolution for the characters.
The Party’s Over! Is an entertaining enough affair, but isn’t quite clear in what it wants to say, which is surprising given the themes are so on the nose.
