Party Monster Information

Party Monster is a 2003 biographical crime drama film that details the rise and fall of infamous New York party promoter Michael Alig. The film stars Macaulay Culkin as the drug-addled "King of the Club Kids".

Written and directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, the film is based on Disco Bloodbath, the memoir of James St. James which details his friendship with Alig, that later fell apart as Alig's drug addiction worsened, and ended after he murdered Angel Melendez and went to prison. A 1998 documentary on the murder, also called Party Monster: The Shockumentary, was used for certain elements of the film.

Plot

Based on the book Disco Bloodbath, by James St. James, the film opens with Michael Alig as a small-town outcast who lived with his mom before moving to New York. Michael learns the New York party scene from James St. James, who teaches him the "rules of fabulousness", which mostly revolve around attracting as much attention to oneself as possible.

Despite James' warning, Alig hosts a party at Limelight, a local club which is owned by Peter Gatien, and soon becomes the hottest club in New York, with Alig at the head. Alig is named "King of the Club Kids" and goes on a cross country journey in search of more club kids. Alig and James pick up Angel Melendez, Gitsie, and Brooke. Soon after meeting, Gitsie becomes Alig's new girlfriend. However, after Michael descends further into drug abuse, his life starts to spiral out of control, eventually culminating in his involvement in the murder of Angel. Gitsie and Michael decide to go to rehab and treat it as a "Second Honeymoon", leaving James behind. James then begins to write his "Great American Novel" published as Disco Bloodbath and later as Party Monster.

Cast

• Macaulay Culkin as Michael Alig
  • Brendan O'Malley as young Michael
• Seth Green as James Clark/James St. James
  • Dillon Woolley as young James
• Justin Hagan as Robert "Freez" Riggs
• Diana Scarwid as Elke
• Dylan McDermott as Peter Gatien
• Wilson Cruz as Andre "Angel" Melendez
• Wilmer Valderrama as Superstar DJ Keoki
• Chloë Sevigny as Gitsie
• Marilyn Manson as Christina Superstar
• Mia Kirshner as Natasha
• Daniel Franzese as The Rat/Clara The Carefree Chicken/Icy The Polar Bear/Dallas MC
• Natasha Lyonne as Brooke
• John Stamos as Talk Show Host
• Amanda Lepore (uncredited) as herself
• Richie Rich (uncredited) as himself

Soundtrack

The soundtrack peaked at number 21 on the US Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums.

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Release

Party Monster made its world premiere at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2003, and later played at the Cannes Film Festival in May of that year. On September 5, 2003, the film was put on limited release to different art house theaters in major US cities.

Reception

The film received mainly negative reviews; it currently holds a 28% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes based on 74 reviews (55 negative, 21 positive); the consensus states "The lurid display of camp soon turns tedious." It was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, however, and Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars, calling Culkin's performance "fearless", though he remarks that "the movie lacks insight and leaves us feeling sad and empty — sad for ourselves, not Alig — and maybe it had to be that way".

The film was only given a limited release. According to Box Office Mojo, the film only grossed $742,898 domestically out of a budget of $5 million in its theatrical release.

Home media

The film was released on DVD in the United States and Canada in February 2004 through 20th Century Fox/Trimark Pictures; the DVD contained various cast interviews, an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes footage, the film's original theatrical trailer, and a real interview with Michael Alig as bonus materials. As of 2009, the DVD has been discontinued and is now largely unavailable for purchase at standard retail stores. It is available for renting through Netflix and instant viewing.