Top 15 Movies About Partying as an Adult

1-15

Ignacio Weil

Entertainment - November 20th 2025, 23:45 GMT+1

Cropped The Worlds End — 15. The World's End (2013)

This isn’t your average pub crawl – *The World’s End* brings together five childhood friends who decide their epic high-school drinking quest deserves a reunion tour. As they stagger from pub to pub, what starts as a nostalgic night out turns into a full-blown alien apocalypse. The film feels like a love letter to getting older without really *growing up*, where the biggest threat isn’t the booze, but your own regret. Edgar Wright serves up his signature pace: quick jokes, sudden danger, and surprisingly tender reflections on friendship. Simon Pegg’s Gary King may look like the same slacker he was in his teens, but his heart is heavier now, burdened by nostalgia and a fear that he’s missed the “real” life. And yet, even with robots and explosions, this movie somehow manages to feel like the best kind of messy Friday night. | © Working Title Films

Cropped The Hangover 2009 — 14. The Hangover (2009)

Picture this: three friends go to Vegas for a bachelor party. They wake up with no memory, a tiger in the bathroom, and the groom is missing. *The Hangover* turns that nightmare into one of the most iconic party comedies ever. What makes it so great (beyond the baby and the chaos) is how real the stakes feel: they’re not just partying, they’re scrambling to fix a disaster of their own making. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis carry the kind of hilarious bromance where love is just slightly buried under regret and bad decisions. Every joke lands like a hangover – painful, absurd, and strangely cathartic. And underneath the mess, there’s a weird kind of loyalty: even when things go so wrong, they’ll do anything to clean it up. | © Legendary Pictures

Wedding Crashers 2005 — 13. Wedding Crashers (2005)

Imagine crashing weddings not because you hate commitment, but because you *love* the party – that’s the twisted charm of *Wedding Crashers*. Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn play John and Jeremy, two buddies who sneak into receptions under fake identities just to flirt, drink, and dance. But this isn’t just a prank movie: when John falls for Claire (Rachel McAdams), the stakes get personal, and some of their schemes start to backfire with surprisingly tender results. Though their methods are absurd (yes, they lie their way into political families), the movie sneaks in real warmth about friendship and, dare we say, vulnerability. Director David Dobkin leans into improvisation, letting the actors riff off each other and making the chaos feel more lived-in than over-scripted. At the end of the night, it's not just about crashing the party – it's about wanting to stay in the world you only pretended to belong to. | © New Line Cinema

Cropped Babylon — 12. Babylon (2022)

This is not your typical “let’s go out and drink” movie – *Babylon* is an epic, decadent ode to Hollywood’s most chaotic era, when silent films gave way to talkies and morality was optional. Damien Chazelle builds a sprawling canvas of ambition, excess, and utterly wild parties, with Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt navigating dreams and debauchery in equal measure. You’ll see insane ragers, drug-fueled blowouts, and a dizzying star system that seems to reward both genius and self-destruction. But it’s not just glam – there’s a tragic undercurrent about how fame eats people, and how creativity can feel like the most dangerous addiction. Watching it, you get the sense that the party never ends – it just burns out eventually, leaving behind a heap of broken dreams and empty champagne glasses. | © Paramount Pictures

Cropped saturday night fever 1977 — 11. Saturday Night Fever (1977)

Forget boardrooms and bosses – in *Saturday Night Fever*, the dance floor is king. John Travolta’s Tony Manero spends his weekdays in a dead-end job, but when the weekend hits, he transforms into a disco god under the lights of Brooklyn’s hottest club. The film pulsates with Bee Gees music, sweat, and glitter, capturing that intoxicating freedom of losing yourself in rhythm and leather. It’s more than a dance movie, though: Tony’s life outside the disco is messy, full of social tension, unfulfilled dreams, and a longing for something bigger than his working-class corner. John Badham doesn’t shy away from showing that the party can’t fix everything... Sometimes it’s just temporary escape. But boy, what an escape: when the bass drops, everything else fades away. | © Paramount Pictures

Cropped Climax 2018 — 10. Climax (2018)

Picture a group of young dancers locked in an abandoned school for one long, euphoric night... and then imagine everything going sideways. That’s *Climax*, where the sangria bowl becomes a psychedelic grenade once LSD enters the mix. Gaspar Noé stages a wild descent into ecstasy, paranoia, and bodily chaos, all captured in shaky, sensorial long takes that feel like a nightmare you can’t wake from. It’s less a traditional party movie and more a visual trip: choreography, flashing lights, flesh pulsing against music. Despite the horror-tinged rhythm, there’s something strangely communal about this destruction – the dancers fall apart together. And in true Noé fashion, the movie doesn’t just unsettle you: it invites you to dance along, even as everything crumbles. | © Rectangle Productions

Cropped Victoria 2015 — 9. Victoria (2015)

Here’s a party movie that disguises itself as a thriller: *Victoria* follows one woman through the streets of Berlin as she accidentally gets roped into a bank heist – all in one continuous, jaw-dropping take. The camera never breaks, which means the tension from the party-like adrenaline never lets up; you’re there for every turn, every mistake, every breath. That sense of “let’s do something stupid and maybe regrettable” pulses through the film, especially as the night stretches and loyalties shift. It’s not just a high-stakes crime story, it’s about the kind of impulsive friendship that only a wild evening can forge. You feel the intoxication of youth, danger, and possibility as the cityscape becomes both playground and prison. And by morning, Victoria’s journey leaves you wondering how many of us are just one bad decision from a totally different life. | © Radical Media

Cropped fear and loathing in las vegas — 8. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

If excess had a cinematic ambassador, it’d be *Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas*, a kaleidoscopic road trip fueled by every drug under the sun. Journalist Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) and his attorney Dr. Gonzo (Benicio del Toro) drive off into the Nevada desert with a trunk full of pharmaceuticals and zero plans – except to hit the gonzo jackpot. The film distorts reality through neon hallucinations, dreamlike sequences, and volatile monologues that make Las Vegas feel like a fever dream. But it’s not just hallucinatory chaos: there’s a biting edge about the American Dream collapsing under its own weight. Terry Gilliam uses wildly inventive visuals and absurd humor to mirror the insanity of their descent. You laugh, you cringe, and you realize you might just be along for the ride, even if you’re not driving. | © Universal Pictures

Cropped enter the void — 7. Enter the Void (2009)

Strap in, because *Enter the Void* isn’t a party movie – it’s a cosmic, neon-lit trip through life, death, and everything in between. Set in the seedy alleys and nightclubs of Tokyo, Gaspar Noé follows a drug dealer named Oscar who, after being shot, watches his life unravel in a surreal, floating afterlife. The camera zips through rooms, through hands, through hallucinations – and you feel like a disembodied observer to a psychedelic spectacle. It’s visually audacious, with first-person perspective sequences that feel like being high without ever leaving the theater seat. The film wrestles with loss, guilt, and the addictive pull of memory, suggesting that maybe the party never really ends – it just changes form. Somehow, a film so deeply weird becomes a strangely profound meditation on connection and impermanence. | © Fidélité Films

Cropped The Great Gatsby 2013 — 6. The Great Gatsby (2013)

If there’s one movie that makes “lavish party” feel like a founding principle, it’s *The Great Gatsby*. Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation turns West Egg into a nonstop 1920s bacchanal, with Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) throwing decadent soirées under the stars just to feel seen. The glittering gowns, the champagne fountains, and the jazz-infused haze aren’t just for show – in Gatsby’s world, the party is his identity. But all that excess masks a deeper longing: wealth, status, and unrequited love collide in tragedy. Luhrmann layers modern beats over vintage decadence to highlight how timeless the itch for desire and belonging really is. Watching it, you understand why Gatsby’s guests don’t want to leave – because leaving means facing the emptiness behind the glamour. | © Village Roadshow Pictures

5. Another Round (2020)

Four middle-aged schoolteachers decide to test a wild theory: maybe life would be better if they stayed a little tipsy all the time. In *Another Round*, the characters don’t just party – they conduct a full-on, socially awkward experiment to maintain a constant blood-alcohol level. It’s funny, but also bittersweet, because the film doesn’t shy away from consequences: their mornings after feel just as real as their drunken exaltations. Mads Mikkelsen leads with a performance that balances vulnerability and mischief, turning what could be a silly premise into a meditation on freedom. Director Thomas Vinterberg plays with mortality, responsibility, and friendship, showing how “having a drink” can be lethal and liberating at once. And even when things go too far, you can’t entirely hate them because who hasn’t fantasized about hitting “edit life” and rewriting their script with a drink in hand? | © Zentropa Productions

24 Hour Party People 2002 — 4. 24 Hour Party People (2002)

Imagine partying not just for one night, but for decades – that’s the manic spirit of *24 Hour Party People*, which charts the wild rise and fall of Manchester’s legendary music scene. Through Tony Wilson’s eyes, you ride the wave of punk, rave, and the birth of Factory Records, witnessing how clubs, bands, and excess became the currency of youth. Steve Coogan plays Wilson with charming arrogance, narrating both history and myth with a wink at how slippery truth can get when you’re dancing to the beat. The film jumps between real events, exaggerated moments, and absurd takes, never letting you forget party culture is part movement, part meltdown. Michael Winterbottom’s direction leans into the chaos – concerts, studio sessions, and backstage drama crackle with energy. By the end, you don’t just feel like you were at the party – you feel like you lived through the era. | © Revolution Films

Cropped the wolf of wall street party — 3. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

Wall Street has never looked so glamourously depraved: *The Wolf of Wall Street* is less a trading drama and more a hedonistic adrenaline rush, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the wild, morally untethered Jordan Belfort. Money, power, escapades and drugs swirl in nonstop excess – the film almost feels like one long, obscene party that just never ends. Martin Scorsese leans into the absurdity, turning Belfort’s rise and fall into a spectacle of capitalism’s ugliest face, but also its most intoxicating. Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, and the rest of the cast lean into the chaos with manic energy, making you laugh even when things spin terrifyingly out of control. It’s not just a morality tale but a carnival mirror: when you stare into it, you don’t just see Belfort, you see a culture built on risk, greed, and far too many champagne toasts. And the wildest part? For all the self-destruction, there’s something deeply enthralling in watching someone believe they can outrun their own demons... until they can’t. | © Red Granite Pictures

Boogie Nights 1997 — 2. Boogie Nights (1997)

Set in the late ’70s to ’80s, *Boogie Nights* takes you behind the velvet curtains of the adult film industry – and yeah, it’s kind of a party. Mark Wahlberg plays Eddie, a young man who rides a wave of fame from being a dishwasher to becoming a porn star, surrounded by people whose lives are glamorous, tragic, and completely off the rails. Paul Thomas Anderson dives deep: there’s debauchery, there’s ambition, and then there's the hollow seduction of fame. The film doesn’t shy away from the costs: for some, the cameras never turn off, and the "party" becomes a trap as much as a dream. The soundtrack, the set pieces, and the characters feel alive in a way that glamorizes the era without sugarcoating the emptiness lying underneath. Watching it, you get swept up in the glitz and then reset with the realization that even in constant party mode, real life has a way of crashing in. | © Lawrence Gordon Productions

Cropped Eyes Wide Shut 1999 — 1. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

If there’s a film that redefines “party” as something dark, opulent, and downright unsettling, it’s *Eyes Wide Shut*. Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece follows Dr. Bill Harford (Tom Cruise) as he drifts into a mysterious, masked world of secret excesses, surreal rituals, and taboo seduction. The tension builds slowly, like a quiet sip of something too strong – and when the party begins, it's not about fun or laughter, but power, secrecy, and desire. Nicole Kidman plays Alice, whose confession sets Bill off on a journey through his own fears and fantasies. The movie feels like a fever dream, with candlelit corridors, hushed whispers, and bodies moving in anonymous parades. Kubrick doesn’t just show you a party, he makes you feel the cost of curiosity, the price of temptation, and the fragility of intimacy. In the end, it’s not a celebration: it’s a cautionary tale wrapped in velvet masks. | © Warner Bros.

1-15

Growing up is overrated, but figuring out how to party responsibly (or… semi-responsibly) is an art form movies love to exaggerate. In this list, we dive into the films that celebrate the wild, chaotic, and occasionally existential flavor of adult partying. If you already checked out our Top 15 School and College Party Movies, consider this the “advanced course.”

Whether you’re in the mood for hedonistic comedy, chaotic night-out energy, or stories that remind you why you don’t mix tequila with life decisions, this list has you covered. These movies prove that adults can be just as messy, hilarious, and delightfully unhinged as any group of freshmen – just with better excuses and worse hangovers. Enjoy.