Sour Party (Blu-ray Review)
- Review Date: Sep 29, 2025
- Format: Blu-ray Disc
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Director
Amanda Drexton, Michael A. DrextonRelease Date(s)
2023 (June 10, 2025)Studio(s)
Artless Entertainment (Anchor Bay Entertainment)- Film/Program Grade: B+
- Video Grade: A-
- Audio Grade: B
- Extras Grade: B
Review
The quest movie features a character or characters who pursue a person or object that will fulfill a need, often a pressing one. Among these films are King Kong, The Wizard of Oz, The African Queen, Moby Dick, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. In each, there’s a definite goal, a journey to achieve that goal, and a payoff. Sour Party, an independent production, is an unusual quest movie in that the main characters are considerably less than heroic and so is their goal.
Gwen (Samantha Westervelt) and her friend James (Amanda Drexton) are two thirty-something Los Angeles women who meander through life from one doomed get-rich enterprise to another. Gwen recently lost her job because of some unpleasantness with her boss and is now relying on her wealthy family to support her lackadaisical lifestyle, while James relies on an erotic video for income and laments that she hasn’t married Nicolas Cage yet.
As the film opens, the two friends are illegally digging up succulent plants in a private garden and trying to sell them on the street. This is their latest attempt at raising cash. Gwen verbally spars with a concerned citizen (Reggie Watts) who confronts them about stealing the plants and reselling them. Shortly after, Gwen’s pregnant sister Deb (Cecily Jenkins) calls to remind Gwen of her promise to attend the upcoming baby shower. Gwen is now frantic to get enough cash together for a gift. With James by her side, she sets out across L.A. to visit weird friends, former drug dealers, ex co-workers, old boyfriends, and bizarre characters from the fringes of their lives in the hope of squeezing enough money out of them to buy a respectable gift.
Comedy arises from their misadventures as we meet a collection of odd personages and see the young women’s reactions to them. The reasons the women give to each of their marks are spurious at best, but Gwen presents her case with earnestness and her own brand of logic. Their efforts fail and they become increasingly frustrated with each refusal. One of their visits is to Leslie (Corey Feldman), now a guru of a sweats-clad backyard cult. Between visits to this peculiar coterie of acquaintances, Gwen and James talk about many things, mostly in their car. The plot allows for considerable improvisation, giving the dialogue a spontaneous feel. Both lead actresses excel at knowing when to stay on script and when to detour for comic effect.
Westervelt and Drexton are a sort of bargain-basement Thelma and Louise, as they thrive on their independence despite barely eking out an existence in an expensive city. Their on-screen chemistry is outstanding, and we sense that these two truly care for one other. Even as they become more annoyed as events turn sour, it’s clear that at the root of their irritation is a strong bond.
James is jealous of Gwen because she can live the way she wants on her family’s money, but she’s also convinced Gwen could easily make it on her own merits if she tried. Gwen is annoyed with James because she believes James is a pushover and won’t assert herself. Gwen wants James to stop letting people take unfair advantage of her. This conflict provides balance to their relationship and adds depth to their characterizations, making the film more than a series of strange encounters.
Despite outstanding performances by the two leads, the film ducks the issue of how two women manage to live a bohemian lifestyle in one of America’s costliest cities. True, some of the money comes from Gwen’s rich parents, but these women seem to live day to day, without any long term goals. Buying a baby shower gift becomes a monumental problem, since Gwen equates giving the gift with presenting evidence of success. If she can buy a nice gift, her family will believe she’s doing well.
Westervelt is the primary key to the success of Sour Party. In every scene, she’s 100% committed, no matter how ludicrous her character’s reasons are for trying to get money from assorted connections. Her eye contact is dead on as she winds her peculiar skein of logic. With her unfiltered personality and quick tongue, Gwen is always ready to plunge into the next ill-thought-out scheme. Westervelt delivers her lines with conviction.
Drexton ’s James is often in the background watching Gwen unfold her verbal mysticism on her unsuspecting targets, marveling at her ability to reel off a series of lies effortlessly. When James bares her soul to Gwen, confessing she’s worried about being on a road to nowhere in her life and being deep in financial debt, Drexton allows James to emerge as more than the quiet sidekick.
Directed by Michael and Amanda Drexton, Sour Party is a briskly paced road picture in which the search for cash is really an opportunity to explore the tenuous lifestyle of two friends trying to make it, one day at a time. Though some of the people they encounter border on the wacky, we always see Gwen and James as two young women trying to find themselves.
Sour Party was captured by director of photography Steven Moreno digitally with Arri and Canon EOS cameras and presented in the aspect ratio of 2.39:1. Details on the Blu-ray are strikingly sharp throughout, only losing an otherwise consistently pristine quality in darker scenes. Much of the film was shot outdoors, opening it up considerably and taking advantage of the sprawling Los Angeles locations. Color palette is varied and really pops in a bizarre dance video that Gwen and James have made, which involves bright, skimpy costumes and colored smoke. This effect is repeated later in the film when the friends visit a wealthy woman.
The soundtrack is English 5.1 Dolby Digital. English SDH and Spanish subtitles are available options. Dialogue is clear and distinct—a remarkable achievement considering so much of the film was shot outdoors. Periodically, heavy metal music blares and often sounds tinny and thin. Ezra Reich’s score is unobtrusive, adding little to the mood. A livelier score would have given the film additional spark.
Bonus materials on the Blu-ray release from Anchor Bay Entertainment include the following:
- Audio Commentary with Amanda Drexton, Michael Drexton, Samantha Westervelt, and Steven Moreno
- Video Yearbook (3:47)
Audio Commentary – This commentary is shared by writer/director/star Amanda Drexton, writer/director Michael Drexton, star Samantha Westervelt, and cinematographer Steven Moreno. The commentators exchange “in jokes” that often leave the listener in the dark. They speak about the succulents scene with actor Reggie Watts being improvised. They describe some mishaps during filming, including the destruction of a house they filmed in by the Palisades fire. Some props were obtained from Goodwill, others from Westervelt’s childhood home. A simple camera trick was employed to create the colored smoke in the erotic dance sequence, saving the production a lot of money. The construction of an overhead camera rig took a whole day and put the film behind schedule, resulting in overtime expenses. Inspiration for Sour Party was movies from the 1980s, especially those of John Hughes. In one instance, the crew had to scramble for a location. In another, a heavy-metal band rehearsing nearby necessitated that filming be done intermittently, causing delays. In car scenes, there were often eight people in the car and air conditioning wasn’t an option because of its sound. An actor who couldn’t pour tea neatly was told to just do it in a messy but knowing manner, as if it were ceremonial in nature. The only permit the production ever had was for filming at the beach. There, they spotted a woman flying an unusual kite and wanted to include a shot of her, requiring that they ask the woman to sign a waiver. The commentary concludes with the cast and crew giving themselves a round of applause.
Video Yearbook – This montage of behind-the-scenes footage focuses on the first and last days of filming Sour Party. We see the Steadicam being used to shoot scenes, an actor looping sound, the rigging of an overhead camera, and shots being set up on the streets of Los Angeles.
Sour Party is an enjoyable film that doesn’t attempt to make any profound statements. It’s a romp featuring two colorful leads and sustains interest through their spirited performances and first-rate screen chemistry. The film is better than might be anticipated and sustains attention largely on its offbeat sensibility. The Drextons allow humor to derive from situations rather than from jokes, making scenes all the more amusing. Gwen and James aren’t caricatures, but real people with flaws. Their perseverance in the face of obstacles drives the narrative, and we enjoy their company on a memorable journey.
- Dennis Seuling