FANTASTIC FEST 2024: We Were Invited To "THE BIRTHDAY" (2004) And We Can Cry If We Want To (REVIEW)
As the sun shines down on the city of Austin, TX with it so do the lights of the Alamo Drafthouse in South Lamar for the 19th annual Fantastic Fest! For eight days, some of the best genre films worldwide will showcase the current and future talents in genre filmmaking while celebrating some classics in new, revitalized restorations. This year, Macabre Daily is fortunate enough to have some boots (well, one person) on the ground basking in the glory of all the genre has to offer. As part of our coverage, we will post reviews, interviews, and previews of upcoming films and games taking center stage here, including some exciting new horror games from the indie studios showcased in Fantastic Games presented by Day of the Devs! We are honored and privileged to be here, thank you to our partners at Fons PR, and now let’s get to the good stuff with Drafthouse Films’ 4K restoration of “The Birthday.” The debut feature from Eugenio Mira starring Corey Feldman finally gets a wide release!
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Not everything is as it seems at the old Royal Fulton Hotel. Norman Forrester is finally going to meet his girlfriend’s family at her father’s lavish birthday party. But what was supposed to be an important step forward in their relationship doesn’t exactly go as planned; he’s not on the guest list, his girlfriend is ignoring him, and her father doesn’t like him at all. Rejected and heartbroken, Norman wanders away from the party, only to find something far more sinister than his girlfriend’s family lurking deep within the churning bowels of the ailing hotel: an ancient evil that threatens to bring about the end of the world.
HOW IS IT?
What’s the worst party you’ve ever been invited to? For Norman Forrester, it’s the birthday of his girlfriend’s rich uncle. For many of us, it has been a mixture of wrong places, wrong people, and bad timing that brings us to the worst party we’ve ever attended. But hey, at least a cult didn’t take over the hotel where the party was and make a big scene, right? “The Birthday” is the movie that dares to answer the question; how would a dorky, pizza buy from Brooklyn (Maryland, that is) do against an uptight family and a world-ending event? It’s not a question a lot of folks were asking, but when it comes to genre films, premises are everything! Eugenio Mira’s long-lost festival film has now emerged in a glorious new 4K transfer and it is a potpourri of genres smashed together that is oddly enjoyable even when it stumbles over its absurdity.
Corey Feldman plays our pizza guy from Brooklyn, Norman Forester and despite his accent, we aren’t talking about New York. Norman is timid, turtle-like, and over-dressed as he arrives at a birthday party in a swanky hotel for his girlfriend, Alison’s favorite and affluent uncle. The first half of the film sees Norman going through what can only be described as a gauntlet of embarrassment as he meanders from scene to scene demonstrating how woefully inept he seems. Looks can be deceiving, however, and as we see Norman’s night continue to increase in absurdity so does his confidence. Feldman plays Norman almost irritatingly obvious at the start. The nasal-heavy voice and NYC accent feel almost cartoonish as Norman is sheepishly shepherded around by Alison who is all but ashamed of him being there and having had to begrudgingly invite him. This continues as her parents look down on Norman, and he crosses paths with old schoolmates who were more foe than friend. The thing is, while Feldman’s performance starts out as exhausting, it also fits in perfectly in this mad cap world that Eugenio Mira has created. In this world, all it takes is a boost of confidence in oneself to get the girl, beat the bad guys, and possibly save the world. If all of this sounds dizzying so far, it should, because “The Birthday” plays out a fever dream that is equal parts “Four Rooms” and “The Burbs.” This eccentricity is both a strength and a weakness.
One challenge “The Birthday” has is its runtime. Clocking in at almost 2-hours, it feels like two completely different movies that magically become one at the end. Perhaps too much time is spent with Norman blundering about in the first half, and not enough time building up to the cult conspiracy that the second half is so concerned with. To be fair, the back half of this movie is bonkers, so while the first half is slightly lesser it pays off in spades for the patient. “The Birthday” is a hard film to talk about because it covers so much ground. It feels frantic both in terms of story and execution, with the camera following along sometimes with a documentary feel. What keeps “The Birthday” from ever divulging into pure lunacy is the care and attention to the filmmaking technique. Unlike other zany films such as “The Room” or anything from Neil Breen there is a level of professionalism here that provides cover for the narrative loopiness. It has all the hallmarks of DIY cinema done with the look, style, and budget of a much bigger film even if you get whiplash from all the pivots the story takes throughout. And not to damn a film with faint praise, but despite the weirdness and unevenness, it’s hard not to enjoy this. Feldman’s performance isn’t played for laughs but for authenticity and the overall experience is what most movies should always be as primary, fun.
LAST RITES
“The Birthday” has all the makings of a midnight film including a zany ending, legendary cult status, and Corey Feldman. It is a film that deserves to be seen with a crowd, kind of like a group psychosis, and despite being overlong and uneven is pure cinematic entertainment of the strangest order.
THE GORY DETAILS
Directed By
Written By
Starring
Where can you watch it?
The Birthday will be released in theaters for one day only on October 11, 2024 at all participating Alamo Drafthouse locations!
Stay up to date with “The Dark Side Of Pop Culture” by following Macabre Daily on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
