Alan Cumming and Jennifer Jason Leigh are the writers, producers, directors, and stars of The Anniversary Party (TAP). The movie stars their friends, including Parker Posey, Kevin Kline, Phoebe Cates, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jane Adams, Jennifer Beals, John Benjamin Hickey, John C. Reilly, Mina Badie (Jennifer's half sister), Denis O'Hare, Matt McGrath, and Michael Panes. It is a rather interesting look into the life of Hollywood players, yet the actors do not throw this in your face. This is natural for them.
It takes place over the course of a night. Sally and Joe Therrian (Jennifer and Alan) are throwing a 6 year anniversary party to celebrate getting back together after a year long separation and 5 months of therapy. Sally is pissed that Joe invited young starlet Skye Davidson (Gwynnie) to the party. He is just doing this to make her the star of his novel-cum-film, a role that everyone thinks was written for the famous, yet older, actress Sally. Close friends pour into the house: an Oscar winning actor and his wife who gave up the biz to have their 2 children (Kevin, Phoebe, and their real kids), a director and his neurotic actress wife who just had a child (John and Jane), their uptight accountant and his flighty wife (John Hickey and Parker), Sally's best friend/confidante (Michael), Joe's best friend/probable ex (Jennifer Beals), and the next door neighbors, a wistful wife and anal husband (Mina and Denis) who are threatening to report Sally and Joe's beloved dog Otis, among others.
Party games are played, toasts are given (written by each actor), and then the big gift comes out: Ecstacy. The drug loosens inhibitions, initially creating pleasure. By the end of the night, revelations, tragedy, and heartbreak have all taken their course.
The movie refuses to solve all problems and make a tidy little conclusion. This is just a glimpse into these peoples lives that leaves you longing for more. There are many unanswered questions, but what do we *really* know about people anyway? It is also an exercise in how many actresses can simultaneously appear braless.
I've seen the movie 4 times. First was on the opening day in NY, inadvertantly. I was doing standby for Conan to see Alan plug TAP (unsuccessfully), but I got my friend to go see it with me while we were waiting for disappointment. It was so worth it to pay $9 at 11 am and go up 7 vertigo inducing elevators just to get to theater 25 (we were at the theater on 8th and 42nd, *right* across from the American Airlines Theater where DFL was, how depressing). Woo do you see different sides of Alan! This is the most natural I've seen him, and of course it's heaven to hear his genuine accent and actually have him as the main focus for an entire movie. I went back a week or 2 later to see it with friends. We went to a Chelsea theater and I had to sneak them in under the guise of my age (way to feel old), and saw it in the first row...ah. The audience was really responsive, which was great. Finally, a couple weeks later, I didn't have to travel 2 hours to see it- it came to Philly, and then came to 2 tristate suburbs for a week. Well, the one theater happened to be 5 min away from me! My mom and I saw it the day after I saw Cabaret for the 3rd time-- so I had a double Matt and Alan treat. I then came home to find out Alan answered my question on the message board, weeee. I haven't gone down to Philly to see it...yet :-) It is just so freakin good. It's also a veritable Cabaret reunion!!!! It came back to the local indie theater, and I've only seen it once there...at least there was a nice new picture from their free ad!
There are only two missing things that disappoint me: Lisa Kudrow was supposed to be the Parker Posey role (wow, we would have seen Phoebes topless), and Alan was supposed to, and I quote him via FHM magazine, "flash my cock."
IMDB
Official Site
Check out Alan's responses to FaerieStar and Ginger8 on June 26 and July 2, starting on this page of the official site's message board. Yeah...we rule :-)
PICTURES
poster- ad
nice way to wake up- ad
bad neighbors- ad
oh so good- ad
kissy
Typical Shot- US
Cute Smile- Entertainment
Ad- Time Out NY
Beals said he had beautiful hands..- In Style
Master, dinner is prepared- In Style
The "gift" picture- Movieline
Smoky- Movieline
Scratchy- NY Times
Ecstasy- NY Times
Director-y- NY Times
Nice cover- RES
Directing again- RES
Party time- RES
Cannes time- Entertainment
Bored now- Premiere
WORK