How to Talk to Girls at Parties (film)

Lore & Background

The film follows a young punk named Enn and his best friends who stumble upon a bizarre gathering of teenagers from another planet, visiting Earth to complete a mysterious rite of passage. Enn falls in love with Zan, a beautiful and rebellious alien who becomes fascinated with him. Together, they embark on a delirious adventure through the kinetic punk rock world of 1970s London, inadvertently setting off a series of events that leads to the ultimate showdown between punks and aliens. Principal photography began on 9 November 2015 in Sheffield, which stood in for London.

Reader's Guide

How to Talk to Girls at Parties received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 47% approval rating with an average rating of 5.3/10, and the critics consensus states the film 'has energy and ambition, but is ultimately too unfocused to do much with either – or develop its themes into a cohesive whole.' Metacritic assigned a score of 50 out of 100, indicating 'mixed or average' reviews. David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter noted that despite charming performances by Elle Fanning and Nicole Kidman, the film's attempts to add political substance felt 'less than half-cooked' and sacrificed narrative cohesion. Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote that the film enunciates raw themes—punk means individuality, aliens are about conformity—but never figures out how to embody those themes in a narrative that could lure in the audience. The film is notable for adapting Neil Gaiman's 18-page short story into a feature-length work, though critics found the expansion overcomplicated the original.

Did You Know?

• Principal photography began on 9 November 2015 in Sheffield, which stood in for London.
• The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on 21 May 2017.
• A24 acquired US distribution rights in September 2015.
• The film is based on a 2006 short story by Neil Gaiman.

Origins & Creative Vision

The 2017 film How to Talk to Girls at Parties sits at a fascinating intersection of genres, mashing together science fiction, romance, and punk rock into a single kinetic narrative. At its core, the project traces back to an 18-page short story published by Neil Gaiman in 2006, which director John Cameron Mitchell expanded into a full feature-length screenplay alongside collaborator Philippa Goslett. Mitchell, already known for his bold and personal filmmaking, took the Gaiman premise—a young punk's encounter with alien teenagers visiting Earth for a rite of passage—and stretched it across the vibrant, chaotic backdrop of 1970s London. The result is a story where a comic-book-artist punk named Enn falls for Zan, a rebellious alien, and their love story spirals into a full-blown confrontation between the punk underground and an alien hierarchy. The film's ambition to weave political commentary, musical energy, and interstellar romance into one package sets it apart from typical genre fare.

Cast & Character Ensemble

The film assembles a notably eclectic ensemble to populate its world of punks and extraterrestrials. Elle Fanning takes on the role of Zan, a curious and defiant young alien whose fascination with Earth draws her into an unlikely romance. Opposite her, Alex Sharp plays Enn, a punk comic-book artist whose best friends Vic (AJ Lewis) and John (Ethan Lawrence) drag him into the alien gathering that changes everything. The alien leadership is headed by Edward Petherbridge as PT First, the supreme authority, with Ruth Wilson and Matt Lucas rounding out the ranks as PT Stella and PT Wain, while Tom Brooke appears as PT Waldo, Zan's parent. Anchoring the human side, Nicole Kidman delivers a standout as Queen Boadicea, an old-school punk who runs the local hangout and manages a singer named Slap (Martin Tomlinson). Joanna Scanlan appears as Enn's mother Marion, and Rory Nolan plays young Enn, the son of Zan and Enn, hinting at a future beyond the film's climactic showdown.

Production & Release Journey

The journey from set to screen took nearly three years. Principal photography kicked off on 9 November 2015 in Sheffield, a city chosen to double for the swarming streets of 1970s London. By September of that same year, A24 had already secured the North American distribution rights, signaling early confidence in the project's cult potential. The film then sat in the cutting room before making its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on 21 May 2017, where it joined the festival's lineup of bold, genre-bending features. The theatrical rollout followed a transatlantic pattern: StudioCanal UK brought it to British audiences on 11 May 2018, while A24 released it in the United States two weeks later on 25 May 2018. The staggered timing meant the film had a full year to build buzz from its festival debut before reaching wider audiences, a strategy well suited to its niche blend of punk aesthetics, sci-fi spectacle, and rom-com beats.

Critical Reception & Thematic Ambition

Critics recognized the film's raw energy but struggled with its narrative focus. On Rotten Tomatoes, the picture holds a 47 percent approval rating across 97 reviews, averaging 5.3 out of 10, with the consensus noting its ambition outpaces its execution. Metacritic's weighted score of 50 out of 100, drawn from 24 critics, lands squarely in mixed or average territory. David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter praised the charm of Fanning's curious alien and Kidman's nihilistic priestess but felt the political layer remained underdeveloped, effectively sacrificing narrative cohesion to overcomplicate Gaiman's original 18-page story. Owen Gleiberman of Variety echoed this, observing that the film clearly states its central opposition—punk individuality versus alien conformity—yet never fully translates those themes into a story compelling enough to pull audiences in. The recurring critique is one of promising ingredients left undercooked, a film that gestures toward deeper meaning without quite landing the punch.