rating : * * * out of * * * * - 7 . 0 out of 10 . 0 cast : peter sellers ( hrundi v . bakshi ) , j . edward mckinley ( fred clutterbuck ) , herbert ellis ( director ) , claudine longet ( michele monet ) director : blake edwards certification : pg year of production : 1968 the party is one of those classic slapstick comedies that will leave you , at times , cracking up . the film takes place , for the most part , in real-time during an exclusive evening party that is attended only by the biggest names in hollywood . hrundi v . bakshi , played very well by peter sellers , is a struggling actor who just came to america from his homeland , india . hrundi tries out his acting talents , but it seems that he just isn't cut out for the job . on the set of his current film that he stars in , hrundi seems to make everything go for the worse . during the filming of this movie set in the 1800's , hrundi manages to annoy the director ( herbert ellis ) in any way he can . this includes a pitiful acting job in many scenes , wearing an underwater watch in one scene , and accidentally detonating a massive set . many of the hollywood producers and big names want hrundi out of the business forever . and when the director makes a personal phone call to mr . clutterbuck ( j . edward mckinley ) pleading for hrundi's ejection from hollywood , everything is pretty much over for hrundi . clutterbuck writes his name down on a piece of paper to insure that hrundi will never again work in hollywood . but when this piece of paper turns out to be the guest list for clutterbuck's exclusive party , hrundi is invited , and certain chaos is bound to occur . of course , as predicted , hrundi causes lots of trouble . each scene in which hrundi encounters a situation , usually one that he can't handle , is almost always very humorous . and each scene with hrundi and the drunken waiter , who is alone hilarious , adds to the comedy in a great way . the party can be compared to many other films of it's type , specifically the trio of naked gun movies and the airplane movies , but the party is a delightful movie that incorporates very well played out comedy into believable situations . it also includes a number of memorable scenes ( can anyone say " birdy num-num " ? ) . if you're in the mood for fun and enjoyable slapstick comedy , check out the party . it's not going to be one of your all-time favorites , but if you enjoy this type of humor , you'll enjoy the party . <hr> * david landers - <a href= " mailto : dml@gwis . com " >dml@gwis . com</a> - <a href= " http : //www . gwis . com/~dml/ " >http : //www . gwis . com/~dml/</a> * <hr> 
