It's generally accepted that vanity projects don’t work out well, and they often end up being failures designed primarily to promote the star involved—and 1984’s *The Party Animal* certainly fits that description. It’s an unpleasant and frequently unkind film that’s more noteworthy for its appearance on a video store shelf than as something you'd choose to watch. The movie attempts to be funny, but it really doesn't succeed. The only character who stands out is Pondo, portrayed by Matthew Causey, and he’s completely unbearable. I found myself wondering how any film could possibly hope to find success with a protagonist that viewers would actively dislike. The entire thing feels like a series of disconnected incidents showcasing this character doing awful things for over an hour. What makes it even worse is that he acts like a jerk in these situations, and everyone around him recognizes it. This makes it difficult to enjoy the film at all. There's one scene where he arrives at a party and consumes a large quantity of drugs until he nearly chokes, and everyone present simply watches him do it—no one joins in. He just walks into this party, everything stops, and people stare at him in shock. That’s the entirety of the scene. Then, abruptly, we move on to another situation with no continuity whatsoever. The effects of the drugs are gone; there are no lingering consequences shown. It's a random collection of this character's unpleasant experiences. Director David Beaird seems to want us to feel sorry for the character and perhaps believe he can change, but that doesn’t happen. It is also hard to ignore the fact that the character wears an Alabama rebel flag—the Stars and Bars—seemingly to emphasize his rebellious nature or the filmmaker's own views. But this effort falls flat. I struggle to explain why this kind of crude comedy even exists. The filmmakers clearly intended to tell a story, and if I were to find any positives, it would be that I occasionally chuckled out of sheer disbelief at what I was witnessing. However, I can say the soundtrack isn’t bad, featuring artists like The Buzzcocks, R.E.M., The Fleshtones, Dream 6, among others. Fans of ska will appreciate a music video for “The General” by The Untouchables; in fact, there are several music videos, and these are the best parts of the movie, showcasing Pondo acting foolishly. I can’t easily recommend this film. It's vulgar, mean-spirited, offensive, and filled with awkward moments. However, it also captures a lot of the feel of the 1980s—the fashion, the music, the overall atmosphere. If anything, it serves as a time capsule from an era when filmmaking operated without rules and with plenty of cocaine.

Source on TMDB