A Good Old Fashioned Orgy

Looking to spice up the shindigs he’s been hosting at his father’s house in the Hamptons for as long as he or any of his friends can remember, Eric (Jason Sudeikis, best known for his turn as Liz Lemon’s boyfriend Floyd in 30 Rock) decides to literally go out with a bang upon hearing the property is to be sold: he and his 30-something chums decide to organise one final party, the titular orgy, and comedy ensues. 

The film is boosted by the presence of a strong ensemble cast, which in addition to Sudeikis includes Lake Bell (What Happens in Vegas), Leslie Bibb (Iron Man 1 & 2) and SNL alumnus Will Forte, though it’s relatively unknown Canadian comic Tyler Labine who manages to steal the show, combining elements of Jack Black and Zach Galifianakis into a well-timed comedic role without which the film would be found somewhat wanting in the laughs department.  Though Labine’s role was singled out for praise by most critics, Orgy fared poorly at the box office and garnered only mediocre reviews.  It isn’t a bad film per se, it’s just that the whole never adds up to more than the sum of its parts: a number of the performances feel a little disjointed, chemistry is lacking between one or two of the leads, writer/directors Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck seem uncertain as to whether to play several crucial scene for laughs, or pathos, or both.  Orgy pulls out all the stops, but ultimately the climax fails to really satisfy. 

Special Features

On a more positive note the disc is laden with a number of worthwhile bonus features, including an Audio Commentary with Gregory, Huyck and Sudeikis; no less than 10 Deleted Scenes (amongst the funniest of which is a snippet of gal pal advice entitled ‘Give Him Anal’); a pretty decent if somewhat scatological five-minute Gag Reel and a nine-minute Making Of featurette entitled ‘How to Film and Orgy.’