If the '80s were the ultimate party, welcome to the hangover. The Lather Effect is an ensemble comedy about a group of high-school friends in their mid-30s who reunite for an out-of-control 'Come As You Were' weekend. But ... more »the morning after may expose that some flames still burn, certain secrets must be revealed, and the greatest song of all time is always up for debate.« less
Alice H. (singlegalkansas) from TOPEKA, KS Reviewed on 2/18/2009...
This was a good movie, not great but good and enjoyable watch. It had a great 80's soundtrack, 80's vibe and good acting, plot and storyline could have been tighter...
0 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
One of the sharpest comedies around
Louise Bagshawe | 01/25/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a brilliant little film. Eric Stolz gives a blinding performance as the lead in what has been called a 'Big Chill' for 80's kids. It's the morning after a massive party, and the group of friends cleans house, revisting the previous night. It's pretty compelling if you're in your 20s-40s and wondering if you wound up with the right person, if life is set. The film manages to be bittersweet yet unpretentious and the script by Sarah Kelly and Tim Talbott is utterly hilarious. Wish there was a higher than five star rating."
"The Lather Effect" is Deja Vu all Over, Again
George McAdams | Alabama, USA | 06/23/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
""The Lather Effect" isn't a typical three star-rated movie,insofar as it went from trying to be a "A 'Big Chill' for Generation X!," as the banner across the front of the DVD case extolled, to being a credible movie about never being able to go back and relive those days of ones youth.
The cast, consisting of Connie Britton, Sarah Clarke, Tate Donovan, Peter Facinelli, David Herman, Caitlin Keats, William Mapother, Ione Skye and Eric Stoltz, were strong enough for this movie, but they never quite lifted it from being an "B" feature, because it was trying too hard to be "The Big Chill," and a couple of other movies, such as "Risky Business," et. al., but just didn't try to build on itself for the first 30 minutes.
Then, David Herman, as Corey, the "famous" one of the lot, makes a revelation that upends the dynamics of the group, and Connie Britton and William Mapother, as star-crossed lovers, are drawn together, again, and the other characters settled-down and build on themselves, as they are, rather than what they used to be.
The "Lather Effect," an "effect" that was explained as when the second application of shampoo is used (you know, shampoo, rinse and re-apply shampoo) the lather is thicker.... which, somehow, never worked out that way for me... I always thought it was just a way the shampoo folks had for getting you to use twice as much shampoo, but I digress. Give "The Lather Effect" a watch, but don't let the first 30 minutes defer you from a decent movie. Had the first 30 minutes been stronger, I would have given this movie four stars.
"
Cute movie, but not "The Big Chill" for the 80's
Get What We Give | Georgia | 06/20/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This was a pleasant movie that showcased some interesting characters and dropped them in a bit of a contrived situation. However, it was not "The Big Chill" for those of us graduating school in the 80's. I'll grant you that there were some interesting choices made with characters, such as Eric Stolz's, in that he was not supposed to be a contemporary of the rest of the cast, but rather a bit older and a bit of a joke even when they'd been in school and yet now he'd reached a point where he was accepted by the "gang". I liked that the women who had the hots for the stud way back when didn't go forward with meeting him, because you can't go back and it made a point of that.
On the whole, though, it just seemed a bit light. It wasn't as deep or meaningful as it could have been. There was much ground they could have covered with the characters, such as Peter Facinelli's - the kid brother who they all believe is selling dope out of the basement - but it just wasn't mined.
Good, but not a full meal - so to speak."
Doesn't Quite Come Out from the Big Chill's Shadow
Maggie Mae | Memphis, Tennessee | 07/07/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"In only a few days Valinda (Connie Britton) has to turn over her family home to the new buyers, so she throws a whale of a party, inviting her high school pals, sort of a twenty year reunion. The movie opens the day after the party. The partygoers, for the most part, have left their spouses and children at home, as they've come to relive what once was, their high school past.
As the group nurses hangovers, while they're cleaning up the mess, they wax nostalgic and dredge up memories and secrets that maybe they shouldn't have, because they involve old hurts. They've never really grown up, these people, and now they are about to.
There's a super soundtrack and a super cast, including: Tate Donovan, Ione Sky and the great Eric Stoltz, but for some reason the movie didn't quite live up to the long shadow cast by the Big Chill, a shadow that effects all movies like this. Still it was okay, four stars."
Big Chill for Gen X
Ophella Paige | Reno, Nevada | 06/30/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This is supposed to be a Big Chill type of movie for Gen X, but for me it fell a little flat, I suppose because it was a bit over done. The movie is about a group of high school friends who come together for one hellacious party twenty years later. The movie opens the day after the party with everybody all grown up and hung over.
However, the soundtrack was great.
I wanna say more, tell you all how much I loved this movie, but sadly, I just didn't. In fact I kind of felt a bit hung over myself after it was finished. Still, I watched it all the way through and did have kind of a feel good feeling when it was over. Yes, the ending was nice and that saved the movie for me."