How to Talk to Girls at Parties | |
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Directed by | John Cameron Mitchell |
Screenplay by |
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Based on | "How to Talk to Girls at Parties" by Neil Gaiman |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Frank G. DeMarco |
Edited by | Brian A. Kates |
Music by | |
Production companies |
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Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 102 minutes [1] |
Countries |
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Language | English |
Box office | $385,733 [2] |
How to Talk to Girls at Parties is a 2017 science fiction romantic comedy film directed by John Cameron Mitchell from a screenplay he co-wrote with Philippa Goslett, based on the 2006 short story of the same name by Neil Gaiman. The film stars Elle Fanning, Alex Sharp, Ruth Wilson, Matt Lucas and Nicole Kidman. Principal photography began on 9 November 2015 in Sheffield.
The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on 21 May 2017. It was released in the United Kingdom on 11 May 2018 by StudioCanal UK and in the United States on 25 May 2018 by A24.
A young punk named Enn and his best friends stumble upon a bizarre gathering of teenagers from another planet, visiting Earth to complete a mysterious rite of passage. Enn falls madly in love with Zan, a beautiful and rebellious alien who becomes fascinated with him. Together, they embark on a delirious adventure through the kinetic punk rock world of 1970s London, inadvertently setting off a series of events that leads to the ultimate showdown between punks and aliens.
Principal photography on the film began on 9 November 2015 in Sheffield, which would be standing in for London. [3]
In September 2015, A24 acquired US distribution rights to the film. [4] It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on 21 May 2017. [5] [6] [7] It was released in the United Kingdom on 11 May 2018 by StudioCanal [8] and in the United States on 25 May 2018. [9]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 48% based on 98 reviews, with an average rating of 5.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "How to Talk to Girls at Parties has energy and ambition, but is ultimately too unfocused to do much with either – or develop its themes into a cohesive whole." [10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 50 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [11]
David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter stated that despite the charming characters of Elle Fanning (a curious alien) and Nicole Kidman (a nihilistic low priestess), its attempts to "add political substance feels less than half-cooked" and in effect sacrifices "narrative cohesion" and "overcomplicates" Neil Gaiman's 18-page story. [12] Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote, "The film enunciates its raw themes—punk means individuality! the aliens are all about conformity!—but never begins to figure out how to embody those themes in a narrative that could lure in the audience." [13]
Nicole Mary Kidman is an Australian and American actress and producer. Known for her work in film and television productions across many genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid actresses. Her accolades include an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, and others. She became the first Australian actor to receive the AFI Life Achievement Award honor in 2024.
Sofia Carmina Coppola is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and former actress. She has received an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Golden Lion, and a Cannes Film Festival Award, as well as nominations for three BAFTA Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award.
Mary Elle Fanning is an American actress. She made her film debut as a child as the younger version of her sister Dakota Fanning's character in the drama film I Am Sam and in the miniseries Taken (2002). She appeared in several other films as a child actress, including Daddy Day Care (2003), Babel (2006), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Phoebe in Wonderland, and the miniseries The Lost Room (2006). She then had leading roles in Sofia Coppola's drama Somewhere (2010) and J. J. Abrams' science fiction film Super 8 (2011).
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"How to Talk to Girls at Parties" is a science fiction short story written in 2006 by Neil Gaiman.
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