Party Monster (2003)

dir Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato

In the beginning, there was Marlon Brando. Then there was Macaulay Culkin. And then, there was Nevel Papperman of Nevelocity.com, apparently.

Seriously though, they clearly asked Seth Green and Macaulay Culkin to both do a fagcent. Seth presumably studied RuPaul (like a good boy) but what the hell was Macaulay up to? Don’t get me wrong. I kinda love it for the character. I dunno. He’s supposed to be bi, after all. It works.

This one is nuts. I’m going to be honest, I feel creepy about the fictionalization of Angel Melendez’s murder. Yes, Party Monster is sympathetic to Angel. It’s clear that he was mistreated, exploited, abused, and ultimately killed by the rich, privileged white kids partying all around him. But at the same time? It definitely glamorizes Michael Alig, right? How much could we hate sweet, sexy Macaulay Culkin? And that’s where I’m like, ick.

Great costuming. The part where the rat shows up and takes over the storytelling was absurd and amazing. And hey, it’s always exciting to see Chloe Sevigny tagging along. The real star here is Seth Green as James St. James, hands down. Our beloved piss drinking troll.

How can you argue with those toenails?