Don's Party

1976 "What a helluva night!"
6.8| 1h30m| NA| en| More Info
Released: 10 November 1976 Released
Producted By: Australian Film Commission
Country: Australia
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

On the night of the 1969 federal election, Don Henderson invites a group of friends to celebrate a predicted Labor Party victory, much to the dismay of his wife, Kath. The Hendersons and their nine guests drink, joke, make love, and fight, all while coming to terms with their individual struggles in life.

Genre

Comedy

Watch Online

Don's Party (1976) is now streaming with subscription on Prime Video

Director

Bruce Beresford

Production Companies

Australian Film Commission

AD
AD

Watch Free for 30 Days

Stream on any device, 30-day free trial
Watch Now
Don's Party Videos and Images
View All

Don's Party Audience Reviews

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!
TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.
Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
mpurvismattp Just watched a "classic" that i had admittedly never heard of but was lucky enough to come across on TCM. I was really glad that I did. The film is about..well..Don's Party naturally, which is centered around a new election and the ousting of a perceivably disliked politician In 1960's Australia. At first the patrons are all well dressed and well behaved but as the booze flows and the music starts to play things begin to take a turn into a sexually charged, haymaker throwing, insult swapping disintegration reminiscent of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff". The acting is fantastic, the characters a beautiful concoction of different social types that you my find in this world. The film is more of a window into what it may have been like in Australia in those times during the sexual revolution, some characters embracing it fully while others still grasping on to the more conservative values of the past. All in all this movie does have something to say and I found it a very fun couple of hours. Enjoy.
larrakin Don is holding a party to celebrate the ousting of the hated long standing liberal government in late 60's Australia. What starts as a serious political debate degenerates into your typical drunken fumbling and fighting as the booze flows and high-browed ideas are replaced with attempts to wife swap and skinny dip in the neighbours pool. Some of the funniest moments are when Cooley starts reminiscing about some of his sexual conquests - "When I was 18 i knocked up a 50 year old barmaid in my dad's pub and all she said all night was thank you....THANK YOU!!!" Mack: He once took pity on a woman with a wooden leg. Cooley: She wasn't a bad $£%&....Once you got past the knee cap squeak! All in all a great example of a David Williamson play. Directed by Bruce Beresford (Breaker Morant, Driving Miss Daisy)
critic_at_large Don's Party is a really funny film. It also is a glimpse at how the 60's sexual revolution invaded suburban Australia. The dialogue is taut and sharp, the characters both quirky and realistic, and the setup funny in a tawdry, Blake Edwards kind of way. A fun rental well worth seeing.
ormas Perhaps one of the best of Williamson's plays/movies, the story is about an election eve party where the winning side is the wrong one for most of the participants.The characterization of the drunk middle-aged, middle class, and slightly socialist characters is in my opinion the highlight of the film.A must see for anyone wanting to understand Australia.