The 10 Greatest House Parties We’ve Seen in Movies

Image via Complex Original

In the case of this 1990 Reginald Hudlin classic, the title doesn’t lie: House Party may very well be the quintessential high school party movie. When “Play” Martin’s (Christopher Martin) parents head out of town, he and his best friend “Kid” Harris (Christopher Reid) plan the party to end all parties (at least until the sequel’s infamous Pajama Jammy Jam the following year). While the movie may have earned an R rating, unlike other “teen” movies of that era (we’ll use “teen” loosely, as Kid ’n Play were both closing in on the big 3-0), the high school shenanigans were all rather innocent—a rap battle here, a dance-off there, and all in the name of fun.

John Landis’ comedy classic may not have invented the toga party, but it certainly set the standard for all onscreen college parties—toga-clad or otherwise—in the nearly 40 years since its release. The studio even mounted a series of toga parties at colleges around the country as a way to promote the movie, and really show American co-eds how it’s done. Live band? Check. A generous enough male-to-female ratio that even the least popular guys have a dance partner? Yep. A semi-synchronized dance routine? Uh-huh. That one weird, seventh-year undergrad who seems oblivious to all that’s happening around him but is clearly having the best time? Animal House has got that, too.

What a difference an Oscar winner makes. While Baz Luhrmann’s retelling of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s beloved novel wasn’t a huge critical hit, it succeeded in featuring one of the most decadent house parties in movie history. Catherine Martin—Luhrmann’s wife and fellow producer—served as both the production and costume designer on the lavish film, and won Oscars for each of those contributions. Perhaps channeling a bit of Jay Gatsby’s spirit itself, Martin spared no expense in party-planning Gatsby’s galas, from a never-ending supply of confetti, champagne, martinis, and showgirls as far as the eye can see—and all of it paid for by the reclusive millionaire. 

Whether you’ve reached it yet or not, there comes a point in every person’s life where you realize that you’re just too damn old to keep up with the college crowd. But that doesn’t stop a trio of way post-graduates from trying in Todd Phillips’ Old School. When Mitch (Luke Wilson) inadvertently rents a house smack dab in the middle of his old alma mater, he and his friends (Vince Vaughn and Will Ferrell) decide to relive their glory days by starting an all-ages fraternity—and throwing one hell of a soiree (a.k.a. Mitch-a-Palooza), complete with a performance by Snoop Dogg (insert plug for Speaker City here) and a valiant attempt at streaking, courtesy of Will Ferrell’s “Frank the Tank” alter ego. It’s more exciting than a Saturday at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Another semi-fraternity on the brink of extinction throws a last-minute rager in order to raise the funds needed to keep their house (a.k.a. The Pit), and is forced to contend with not just a stodgy administration, but a staunchly politically aware student body that is so wrapped up in their individual sociopolitical causes that they forget the first mandate of college: Have fun. And so, The Pit dwellers, led by Droz (Jeremy Piven), are forced to find common ground on which every student can party equally. Their solution? Getting George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic to perform. Tear the Roof Off the Sucker indeed.

In 1985, Gary Wallace (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt Donnelly (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) gave geeks everywhere hope when they plugged a Barbie doll into an old-school computer and created the perfect woman, Lisa (Kelly LeBrock). Once brought into the real world, Lisa uses her time with the teens to help build up their confidence and popularity. In addition to simply hanging around the guys as a way to make them seem more desirable, she decides to throw a party at Wyatt’s house to further prove just how cool these guys really are. While the party itself is a success, Lisa still needs the guys to stand out and own it—and so she conjures up a motorcycle gang to crash the scene, then leaves it up to Gary and Wyatt to get rid of them, making her earlier explanation to Gary’s mom about what the party would be—“Just a couple of hundred kids running around in their underwear, acting like complete animals”—all the more apropos.

For more than half a century, women have tried their hardest to replicate Holly Golightly’s seemingly effortless style. And while she may not live in the kind of palatial pad you might expect from a Manhattan party girl, she makes the most of her small square footage by packing the house with fabulous people having fabulous conversations and a fabulous time. Just add cat.

Given that Shelley Darlingson, The House Bunny’s Playboy Playmate turned sorority house mother, previously lived at The Playboy Mansion, it would make sense that she’s well acquainted with the mechanics of how to throw a legendary party. (She learned from Hef, after all.) In a reverse of the typical college movie party, the females are the ones who are in control of this gathering. More like a coming out party, the over-the-top event (which popularized the idea of the Aztec Party, in which virgins are put on display) is meant to show off what a difference a makeover makes when the formerly geeky Zetas become the sorority house to pledge. It’s exactly what they need (30 pledges, to be exact) in order to remain an active chapter. 

Looking at the joint filmographies of Seth Rogen and James Franco, it’s actually pretty believable that the raucous, celeb-filled party that sets the scene in This is the End is the kind of get-together that Franco regularly throws. Well, minus the apocalypse. But everything up until then—and all of the banter that ensues following a handful of their famous friends being swallowed up by a hole in the earth—seems like just another Saturday night at Franco’s pad.

If there’s one thing Marie Antoinette is known for, it’s probably her death by guillotine. But her love of all things lavish is a close second. For her New Wave biopic of the controversial Queen of France, writer-director Sofia Coppola paid meticulous attention to that latter aspect of Antoinette’s life, and in an extended birthday-party scene, gives audiences a glimpse into the lavish world of 18th-century aristocracy.