The Penthouse

Plot

Three lifelong friends inhabiting a penthouse apartment find themselves at odds when one of them attempts to move in with his girlfriend and another's little sister makes a surprise visit.

Release Year: 2010

Rating: 3.3/10 (630 voted)

Director:
Chris Levitus

Stars: Rider Strong, Corey Large, April Scott

Storyline
Three lifelong friends inhabiting a penthouse apartment find themselves at odds when one of them attempts to move in with his girlfriend and another's little sister makes a surprise visit.

Writers: Chris Levitus, Corey Large

Cast:

Rider Strong
–

Kieran

Corey Large
–

Tyler

April Scott
–

Trista

James DeBello
–

Heath

Kaley Cuoco
–

Erica Roc

Mya
–

Mitra

Nikki Griffin
–

Lexi

Lochlyn Munro
–

Barry

Jimmy Jean-Louis
–

Buzz McManus

Jon Abrahams
–

Tyler's Agent

Jo De La Rosa
–

Realtor

Brett Novek
–

Joey

Kurupt
–

'Strangers' Host

Ed Begley Jr.
–

Nicholas

Lin Shaye
–

Frances Roc

Taglines:
Everyone's Trying To Get On Top

Release Date: 3 Jan 2010

Box Office Details

Budget: $3,000,000

(estimated)

User Review

National Lampoon Presents: Sex, Drugs & A Penthouse Full Of Rejects

Rating: 3/10


I find some films very hard to review, however in this case it was
quite the contrary. Maybe I'm a little hard on indie flicks in general
but I find watching movies like The Penthouse especially easily to
slate because I can't help but look at the finer picture; that being
the overall message of the film. While this film shouldn't be viewed
any deeper than its title, for me personally it's glaringly obvious
just how little effort was put into its making. In retrospect this film
should have been made in the image of The Hangover or American Pie in
its approach toward comedy yet the actual comedy itself is hardly
existent.

This film certainly has an appeal about it don't get me wrong… on its
shell it has what most people are looking for in a "teen" comedy. Even
though it's got all the characteristics of a "teen" comedy, most of its
characters are of an adult age (around 30 years old). The reason I
mention this is; these are fully grown men acting like they never grew
up past the age of 17 or 18. One could almost see the film as an
unflattering look at middle aged men who never matured. Nevertheless,
it is on this point where the film seems to struggle to decide what
kind of comedy it desires for; satire or no-brainer? On both of these
levels the film falls flat on its face.

You have all the regular characters that have become familiar with
these types of comedies. We have Kieran (Rider Strong) who is the
lovable geek boy who wants to move on with his life however he is
hampered by his girlfriend, Erica (Kaley Cuoco) wanting to tie him
down. Tyler & Heath (Corey Large & James DeBello) are the two party
animals who seem to be addicted to drinking & womanising. Finally
there's Trista (April Scott) who is Tyler's hot sister (the way she
seems fine living in the same penthouse with her brother totally
dumbfounds me). The film basically follows a bunch of roommates
negotiate their day to day lives in a Penthouse (won on a reality TV
show by Tyler).

There's not much substance to the story itself which means the movie
trudges along for 90 minutes without really achieving any goals. It's
almost a painful & unrewarding experience for the viewer. For me at
least it felt like the whole production team couldn't wait for the
movie to be finished. All we are really seeing is a group of men
drinking, having sex, having parties then starting the next day the
same way (hardly inspiring material). Anyway it's really disappointing
to see already established actors stoop to the amateurish level that
this film did. It was a shame to see a dynamic actor like James DeBello
(Cabin Fever) play a narcissistic loser alongside Corey Large, it's a
real shame indeed. I must however commend actor Locklyn Munro who was
the only real standout character, playing the soul-seeking adventurer,
Barry, who to me was a huge contrast to all the other drab
personalities (even though he seemed strangely misplaced). That is one
of the few credits that I can give this film, which just goes through
the motions of being a comedy without ever achieving it.

This is yet another piece of wasted film reel, wasted by a lazy
production team who should have abandoned the idea while it was still
being thought up on the drawing boards. If anything the film would have
been served better as a socially conscious drama rather than being a
directionless comedy that stands as its final product. It doesn't
surprise me that this film was leaked onto the internet, even before
its Direct-to-DVD release. Just goes to show how much financial return
the studio thought it was going to get from this stinker!

1.5/5