Nancy Travis and Sara Paxton in "The Party Never Stops"
courtesy of Lifetime
"The Party Never Stops" (Lifetime)

Several years ago there was a movie titled "Lock Up Your Daughters." After watching the original movie "The Party Never Stops" on Lifetime, I think that might be a suitable alternate title for it. This film concerns a young girl who is a freshman in college. Away from rules and restrictions she indulges in the party life and becomes a binge drinker. The picture this movie paints is not a pretty one. In fact it changes this movie from being a drama into being a horror flick.

Jesse (Sara Paxton) is super close to her single mom. She has a sister but her mom (Nancy Travis) has always been her special friend, especially after her Dad died. Now Jesse has gone away to college and she doesn't have her mom to rely on any more. Wanting desperately to be accepted by her new friends she begins to indulge in the freewheeling party life at her school. 

Her roommate Shanna (Chelsea Hobbs) seems to be at ease in every situation so if she can party and do alright then Jesse thinks she can too. But one party leads to another as does one drink after another. Soon Jesse's life is out of control. The only question is can she get it back.

This is a movie that scares because it appears to be so realistic. The commonness of drinking to excess seems to fit in with the college scene that is depicted. Jesse doesn't mean to get drunk, it just happens. And then when she goes to the next party, it happens again. There seems to be no one around to wake her up, at least not until a lot of damage has been done.

If you have a teenager in your home, this is a movie to watch with them. The message is important but so is the awareness it might provoke. Jesse and Shanna are just two popular young girls living the free life with no thought of how their actions might impact them.

Sara Paxton and Chelsea Hobs are both very good in their roles. They actually look and act like college freshmen so they may be accepted by teens watching the movie. It is good to see a film that depicts the downside of too much freedom rather than glorifying that kind of life like the tabloids do.

Lifetime movies are constantly being criticized for being too preachy or too much the "illness of the week." This movie is important and it should be watched by adults and teens. You can watch it, you can be entertained by it, and most importantly you can learn from it. Binge drinking is a problem with kids on college campuses. This movie says it can be deadly.

"The Party Never Stops" premieres on Lifetime on Monday, March 26 at 9PM. Make sure you and your kids watch it - together.
 

 

 

 

 

©2007 Jackie K. Cooper

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