(1984)
3
Derek Armstrong
Tom Hanks and his flippant party animal cohorts make Bachelor Party seem like a descendent of Animal House in its better moments. A bunch of self-satisfied guys going to great lengths in the pursuit of flesh and jubilant rule-breaking, all while winking to each other and laughing, give them a certain kinship to Otter, Bluto, Boon et al. But without the sublime comic performances and dialogue to keep things moving, Bachelor Party is more often a succession of puerile practical jokes with no bounds to their tastelessness. Even the bride's disapproving father gets gagged and dressed up in dominatrix attire, an outcome the film invites us to cheer. More legitimate levity comes from watching the ongoing tortures of Hanks' rival, the smarmy Robert Prescott, who gets dangled naked from buildings among other such embarrassments. Those expecting this type of lowbrow comic irreverence from beginning to end will probably have no problem with Bachelor Party. However, anyone curious about what Tom Hanks did before Philadelphia will undoubtedly grimace -- including Hanks himself.
Bachelor Party on AllMovie
Bachelor Party (1984)
