Don's Party

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Don's Party

1976,

1h 30m,

Comedy/

Drama

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Watchlist

83%

6 Reviews

Tomatometer

63%

1,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

6 Reviews

63%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Don Henderson (John Hargreaves) and his wife, Kath (Jeanie Drynan), invite their friends over for drinks to celebrate the impending victory of Don's political affiliation, the Australian Labor Party. It soon becomes clear, however, that Don's party is not going to win, as everyone had originally expected. Don's guests begin to drink heavily, leading to some unexpected revelations, and eventually to the realization that everything in their lives may not be quite as it seemed.

David Denby

New York Magazine/Vulture

Sep 10, 2020

It's a dispiriting, ugly experience, cliched rather than illuminating, smarmy rather than funny.

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Gary Arnold

Washington Post

Apr 23, 2018

Don's Party owes a good measure of its comic gusto and accuracy to the impression that the filmmakers not only know these supposedly enlightened brutes but get a considerable kick out of their uncouth impulses.

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Brian Susbielles

InSession Film

Mar 7, 2023

The political loss also reflects the men and their hallow selves in Bruce Beresford’s scandalously funny film.

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Jul 23, 2005

4/5

Lori Hoffman

Atlantic City Weekly

Jan 5, 2005

4/5

Aussie version of 'The Big Chill'

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Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality & Practice

Feb 4, 2004

Don's Party reveals the silliness and immaturity of male bonding when it remains on the infantile level.

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Kylo R

Jan 10, 2019

Australian Gold. A movie made from a play by our most famous playwright at the top of his form. Quintessentially Australian.

George P

May 18, 2017

Australian playwright David Williamson's 'Don's Party' is one of the pivotal movies of the 'Ozploitation' renaissance in the 1970s. Never more than here, has such a motley assortment of boorish, crass, booze party guests said more about not just Australian culture, but drinking culture at large. The representation of character types at this drunken soirée, runs the gamut from the passive to obscene, suffering housewives to self-empowered feminists (Candy Raymond), mannered prudes (Graham Blundell) to oafish, sexually arrogant cowboys (Cooly played by Harold Hopkins). Amidst it all is Don (John Haergraves)- a leftist intellectual from a privileged background who has no clear direction in life, and after a few drinks his wife doesn't think so either. This is Don's night. It's the federal election and the votes are being counted on TV but much like the evening itself, the hope of the 'Liberal (conservative)bastards losing' begins to fade like the hopes and dreams of everyone at this booze-soaked celebration. 'Don's Party' is a film with universal resonance much like the 1971 Aussie cult classic 'Wake In Fright' and for that matter 'The Lost Weekend'. It delves into the dark side of human nature through the breakdown of inhibitions and it does so with great performances and razor sharp wit.

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Leia G

May 26, 2008

Don stages a party on 1969 election night. Plenty of dynamics at play here with some sharp commentary, but none of Don's party guests seem to be having fun here or at life in general. May help if you are a little familiar with Australian politics.

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Bruce Beresford

Director

John Hargreaves

Don Henderson

Jeanie Drynan

Kath Henderson

Graeme Blundell

Simon

Veronica Lang

Jody

Ray Barrett

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Synopsis

Don Henderson (John Hargreaves) and his wife, Kath (Jeanie Drynan), invite their friends over for drinks to celebrate the impending victory of Don's political affiliation, the Australian Labor Party. It soon becomes clear, however, that Don's party is not going to win, as everyone had originally expected. Don's guests begin to drink heavily, leading to some unexpected revelations, and eventually to the realization that everything in their lives may not be quite as it seemed.

Director: Bruce Beresford
Producer: Phillip Adams
Screenwriter: David Williamson
Production Co: Australian Film Commission
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 9, 2018
Runtime: 1h 30m

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