PROJECT X (Rated R)

The choice of the major films of the week is between the family-friendly “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax” and the polar opposite extreme of “Project X,” a raucous bacchanal of bad behavior.

In brief, one movie is suitable for everyone, while the other proves unsuitable to anyone with a brain. A case of bad timing and unfortunate choices caused me to attend the screening of the latter.

“Project X,” filmed documentary-style with a shaky hand-held camera, should have a rating stiffer than an “R,” maybe a new category that would warn parents and authorities everywhere of impending disaster.

Produced by Todd Phillips (“The Hangover” films), this movie works off the deceptively simple premise that teens are easily led astray when a house party gets so completely out-of-control that riot police must be summoned.

Situated in the suburban community of North Pasadena, “Project X” follows three seemingly anonymous high school seniors as they attempt to finally make a name for themselves on campus.

The normal guy-next-door one is Thomas Kub (Thomas Mann), whose approaching 17th birthday is the catalyst for a party at his house when his overly protective parents will be away for the weekend.

The ringleader for party planning is Costa (Oliver Cooper), a refugee from Queens with an attitude to match who thinks that throwing a big bash for his buddy Thomas will be what he calls a “game changer.”

Tagging along for the fun is the nerdy JB (Jonathan Daniel Brown), the overweight misfit looking to break out of his shell. Yet, he’s the unmistakable source of comic relief.

The unseen member of the group is Dax (Dax Flame), the omnipresent cameraman recording every detail and encounter from the school grounds to the climactic finale of a party veering off into the abyss.

There’s nothing terribly original about any of these characters. We’ve seen variations of them in films from “Animal House” to “Superbad.”

But what looks like unscripted mayhem is really no substitute for meaningful character development. Thomas, Costa and JB have little to say beyond the ordinary dialogue of horny teens looking to score.

As the most sensible member of the group, Thomas only wants a party limited to a small group of friends. After all, his dad warned him that his shiny silver Mercedes-Benz is off-limits.

I guess the father never saw “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” and so he has no clue what is likely to happen to his precious automobile when it is left unguarded.

Meanwhile, desperately seeking to up the “cool” factor of the pool party, Costa advertises the birthday bash through text messaging and other forms of social media.

Possessed of a manic energy that fits his outsize ego, Costa seems more interested in seducing impressionable teen girls than helping his supposed best friend celebrate in a reasonably decent manner.

The fact that the blow-out party at Thomas’ upscale suburban home will devolve into a frighteningly chaotic and recklessly out of control riot is telegraphed early on.

For one thing, in the early planning stages, the trio visits an unhinged drug dealer, only to steal his Santa gnome to be used as a party mascot. Little do they know that the ceramic figurine would make for one trippy piñata.

They also did not figure on the angry drug dealer showing up at the party as a most unwelcome guest armed with a deadly weapon.

Most of the action consists of the party unfolding in various stages of mayhem, from girls losing their tops in the swimming pool to more deviant behavior that comes all too easily with massive consumption of drugs and booze.

The party scene becomes so raucous that news helicopters hover above while S.W.A.T. teams move about in full riot gear. Destruction is so widespread that the neighborhood looks like a war zone.

“Project X” will most likely appeal to those who shouldn’t be let into an R rated movie in the first place. Admittedly, at times there’s some funny stuff, but it all quickly wears thin when the annoying characters become even more so.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

More excellent police dramas from Britain are available on DVD for release in the United States, thanks to Acorn Media.

From the creator of “Prime Suspect” comes the detective series “Above Suspicion, Set One,” two full-length feature films starring Ciaran Hands and Kelly Reilly.

Oddly enough, the British newspaper The Telegraph described “Above Suspicion” as the “younger, sassier successor” to “Prime Suspect.”

This accolade should not be confused with the recent American version of “Prime Suspect” which first aired on NBC this past fall, and has now vanished from the network’s schedule.

In any event, you’re much better off watching the DVD of a great crime thriller cut from the same cloth of the original British inspiration.

“Above Suspicion, Set One” follows the story of a female rookie detective (Kelly Reilly) trying to prove herself in what is still mostly a man’s world, where her mentor (Ciaran Hands) is a crusty, brusque superior.

Since this is British television, there is no rating, but the series contains violence, graphic images, coarse language and nudity – all the same things found in “Project X,” but done with the appropriate style and purpose.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.