I Watched Project X After The Documentary About The Insane Party It Inspired – And It Blew My Mind!

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At one point, I missed out on “Project X”, a 2012 film produced by Todd Phillips that features found footage of a group of teens trying to throw the ultimate high school party. Prior to watching the most recent Trainwreck documentary through my Netflix subscription, I was unfamiliar with it and knew very little about it.

As a cinephile, I recently stumbled upon an intriguing documentary titled “Trainwreck: The Real Project X,” which delves into a wild party in a Dutch town that seems to have been sparked by the same-named film. Remarkably, both the doc and the movie share footage that’s eerily alike. Having just seen this latest installment of the Trainwreck Series, and the craziest since “The Mayor of Mayhem,” I couldn’t help but be drawn to the movie itself. Here are my thoughts on it.

Project X Is A Decent Movie

The film titled “Project X” features Oliver Cooper, Thomas Mann, and Jonathan Daniel Brown portraying three friends who host a birthday party that becomes notorious. Despite receiving a 28% “rotten” rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, it has a more favorable 61% “fresh” rating among fans. Going into the movie with an open mind, I didn’t dislike it entirely, but I can understand why it failed to impress critics.

I found the movie enjoyable. Interestingly enough, before events became excessively wild, it portrayed some high school parties I attended quite accurately. There was an abundance of substance use and revelry, but nothing overly extreme. To begin with, I connected with the anticipation leading up to the party – the trio of teenagers traveling across town for supplies and meticulously preparing for the night. In a positive sense, it brought back memories of high school.

The Origin Story Of The Party Is Different

The film appeared to have garnered more popularity overseas, as everyone interviewed in the “Trainwreck” documentary, currently streaming on Netflix, seemed quite enthusiastic about it. Perhaps this was simply due to those who were interviewed, given they were the ones organizing the event, but the movie “Project X” seemed particularly well-received among younger audiences in the Netherlands. This enthusiasm resulted in the invitation for the party spreading widely and being linked to the 2012 film. The event became known as “Project X Haren,” named after the town of Haren where it took place.

In late 2012, the event transpired, leaving a strong impression on the attendees. When Merthe Weusthuis, the initial host of the party, failed to close the Facebook invitation to the general public, the news spread rapidly, eventually becoming viral. Even after Weusthuis decided to call off the party and remove the invite, it was already out of control. Others had taken up the promotion, using her address and contact information. Despite their best efforts, Weusthuis and her family were unable to halt the momentum.

Once The Party Gets Out Of Control, That’s Where It Looked Like The Doc

In a striking resemblance, the chaotic footage from the Haren party and the “found footage” in the film become eerily similar when things spiral out of control. Cars ablaze, riot officers attempting to quell the chaos, bottles flying through the air… It’s a wild spectacle that unfolds in both films. Interestingly, this unruly scene made watching the movie more enjoyable for me, as I might have written off the film as excessively outrageous if I hadn’t seen “Trainwreck: The Real Project X” beforehand. However, the documentary serves as proof that such events could indeed occur in reality.

In the 1990s, I attended high school and frequented underground raves, attending concerts and parties. It struck me back then how quickly gatherings like those could spiral out of control. Now, it’s evident that in today’s world, with social media and the internet, such events would gain far more traction than they did during that era. However, even without these modern tools, rumors and word-of-mouth would still spread information about raves. Yet, the impact was significantly less compared to what is depicted in the documentary. Initially, I found the portrayal of such events in the movie hard to believe; however, the documentary made it all seem very plausible.

In conclusion, I highly suggest checking out both films titled “Project X” and “Trainwreck: The Real Project X“. However, if you haven’t watched either yet, I advise starting with the documentary first. Please be aware that these films are not related to the 1989 movie of the same name starring Matthew Broderick. They are significantly different productions.

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2025-07-12 00:07