Summary via Chattanooga Film Festival:
Gwen and James are two broke, self absorbed, emotionally stunted 30-somethings, eking their way through a meager LA existence. They’ve tried everything to get rich quick from cliche artistic endeavors and failed business startups to sex work, playing the victims all the way. When Gwen realizes she forgot her older sister’s baby shower the night before, she’s determined to save face in front of her family and get her sister a proper gift… from the registry. After putting their heads together, Gwen and James assemble a list of people they believe owe them money and set out on a twisted road trip across Los Angeles in attempt to collect on their “debts.” They encounter an array of frenemies, failed artists, toxic males, and one supernatural being on their quest. What begins as a journey to confront the ghosts of their pasts quickly shifts gears as Gwen and James realize maybe they’re not the victims after all – maybe they’ve just been throwing themselves a sour party.
Review:
When characters in a movie stumble towards self-actualization while riding in a car, even if its just a few hours, it becomes a road trip movie.
In Sour Party, the search for that final gift left on the baby shower registry is the plot MacGuffin. There is no real talk between the thirty something Gwen (Samantha Westervelt) and James (co-director Amanda Drexton) about having children, motherhood or even about being parents someday.
These are bffs and roommates fated to each other like forever. Putting childhood aside and becoming adults is the point. So turning down drugs, paying off debts, shaking bad influences, sham self-actualization schemes, and a seriously wacky crush on Nicolas Cage on James’ part are the moral lessons. Being an adult means living in the sour party of life.
It’s all pretty routine and the timing manages to work itself out by the end when all the jokes and symbolic growing up situations have played themselves. The plot just literally runs out of gas. The finale, which features a rejection of the capitalist dream, is a cheat.
Sour Party gets a 3.0 out of 5 or a B.
Sour Party is part of the 10th annual Chattanooga Film Festival playing online and IRL through June 29th.
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