Party Monster (2003)

Michael Alig was a club kid who took things too far -- he peed in friends' drinks, did too many drugs, and, one night in 1996, he helped murder drug dealer/friend Angel Melendez, chopped him up, and -- a smelly week or two later -- tossed the boxed remains into the Hudson River. Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, directors of the same-titled documentary on Alig, return to his sordid story and the late 80's NYC club milieu with this delightful, energetic and shocking feature!

The still-boyish Macaulay Culkin makes his first adult onscreen appearance as Michael Alig, an enterprising queer kid from Indiana who hits Manhattan in search of fame and fortune. He soon meets James St. James (Seth Green), the self-proclaimed "original club kid," James teaches Michael all that he knows about being a celebrity, but the student soon outpaces the teacher. Michael quickly charms his way into club promotion, landing a weekly event at Limelight, the NYC church-cum-nightclub lorded over by Peter Gatien (Dylan McDermott). Assembling a clutch of like-minded young nightlife personalities who want nothing more than to be famous for simply being "fabulous," Michael and James rise to national prominence. However, their increasing drug consumption and Michael's erratic, amoral behavior -- not to mention anguish over a breakup with DJ Keoki (Wilmer Valderrama of "That '70s Show") -- lead to a downward spiral that culminates in homicide.

Culkin and Green are fearless in their portrayals of fun-lovers gone awry (the sight of Culkin wearing a surgical mask as makeshift jockstrap is perversely far-removed from his O-mouthed Home Alone visage). The directors recreate the '90s decadent NYC club scene with fervor and accuracy, and even drafted some of the surviving club kids (like current fashion designer Richie Rich) for cameos. A dollop of celebrity cameos -- Marilyn Manson, Natasha Lyonne, Diana Scarwind -- add flavor to the stew while out actor Wilson Cruz ("My So-Called Life") delivers a memorable, understated performance as lost boy Melendez. Party Monster is equal parts cautionary tale, celebratory flashback, and actor's showcase

Lawrence Ferber