It's My Party

Once in a while, a movie comes along that impacts you so deeply that it becomes part of you. Randal Kleiser's "It's My Party" is one of those movies for me. This star-studded ensemble piece is hilarious and heart-wrenching, thought-provoking and touching, or as Leonard Maltin describes it, "quite moving".

Eric Roberts stars as Nick Stark, a gay man diagonsed with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. Rather than becoming the vegetable this will eventually cause, he opts to throw one last party, a final hurrah to say goodbye to his family and friends, and then take his own life. At the party, Nick's ex-lover Brandon (played by Gregory Harrison) shows up, trying to tie up the loose ends of their break-up. He is met with derision, scorn, sympathy, and affection from their shared group of friends, and through a series of flashbacks, we get a glimpse of their life together, and how Nick's illness broke them apart.

The supporting cast is amazing and includes Bronson Pinchot, Margaret Cho, Marlee Matlin, Olivia Newton-John, and George Segal. Everyone has their own reaction to Nick's news, and even though they all are trying to put on festive party faces, the grief that underlies every scene is real and THERE. Some powerful performances suck the audience into this last two day party.

Even though this film is from 1996, it truly is timeless. The relationships between Nick and his mother, his estranged father, his friends, and his ex are relatable and realistic. It is the celebration of a life through a shared communion, and it is an expression of how love makes grief endurable, Although this makes it sound really heavy (and it is), it is also funny as hell, and the catty remarks and inside jokes will have you holding your sides in laughter, even as you're crying.

This is one of the best "gay films" I have ever seen, and whats more, is easily in my top 10 movies of all time. I guarantee you will never be able to hear Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" the same way again.

This has been a bobert review.