Movies like Project X deliver the wild parties and the unbreakable friendship of youth. The 2012 film takes place over the course of one night while following Thomas, Costa, and J.B., three unpopular high school seniors committed to throwing the party of their lives. What seems like the trio's final attempt to do something remarkable during their school years quickly goes off the rails, with the party growing increasingly absurd and out of hand.

Project X wasn't the first comedy about non-stop partying, but it helped revitalize the subgenre. The film is produced by Todd Phillips, who directed The Hangover franchise, and its influence on pop culture was so great it has been cited by many real-life teens as their inspiration for throwing wild parties (via The Dallas Morning News). By playing with the most-used teen comedy tropes, Project X adapts typical conventions to a found footage style, delivering a one-of-a-kind movie. However, those looking to find similar movies with big laughs and party vibes still have plenty of options.

15 Neighbors (2014)

A Wild Frat Turns A Family's Life Upside Down

Neighbors is a unique movie in that it casts Seth Rogen as the straight man against Zac Efron's heavy partying frat boy. The film sees Rogen as a husband who is raising a family with his infant daughter and loving wife (Rose Byrne). However, their lives are turned upside down when Delta Psi Beta, a fraternity known for outrageous parties, moves in next door. It sounds like Animal House or Old School, but in this case, the fraternity are the antagonists and do everything they can to make the people around them miserable.

A sequel, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, came out in 2016.

Neighbors is similar to movies like Project X, with the wild parties getting bigger and crazier along the way. However, there is a little more substance to the film, as the frat only gets vengeful when they feel their neighbors betrayed their trust. Neighbors is as much about comion and understanding as it is about causing problems, although both sides of the story create plenty of chaos before the film comes to an end. The film shares the wild party scenes in common with Project X, although things don't get quite as wild.

14 The World's End (2013)

Friends Reunite For One Last Pub Crawl

Seeing the main characters from Project X partying and dealing with the fallout from their actions, it is easy to picture them growing up and becoming a little more like the characters in The World's End. The third film in Edgar Wright's Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy (which also includes Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz), The World's End centers on a group of old friends back together years after their party days have ended for one last pub crawl to honor their friendship and to reminisce about days gone by. However, things do not go well for them.

The guys are all at different parts of their lives despite their similar ages, and it really shows how people can grow apart over the years. However, what really ties this movie into Project X is how everything just grows out of control with the protagonists going to increasingly desperate measures to stop it. In this case, it turns out there is an alien invasion starting while they are on the pub crawl, and they end up in the middle of this mess while trying to figure out their place in life.

13 Harold And Kumar Go To White Castle (2004)

Two Stoners Have A Wild Night To

In Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, the titular stoner buddies (John Cho and Kal Penn) decide they want to set out to get some tasty White Castle burgers, but they then realize that just getting to the fast food restaurant is a journey in and of itself. Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle remains similar to movies like Project X in that the situation goes from some friends partaking in some innocent partying and results in an almost life-or-death struggle.

The movie was followed by Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008) and A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas (2011).

On their way to White Castle, Harold and Kumar encounter wild raccoons, gunshot victims, and violent racist police officers. In a humorous cameo, Law & Order: SVU actor Christopher Meloni plays Freakshow, a truck driver with oozing boils on his face. Even better was when Neil Patrick Harris showed up as a fictionalized version of himself, someone who popped up again in the sequels.

12 Van Wilder (2002)

A College Party Expert Meets His Match

Ryan Reynolds enjoyed his breakout movie role in Van Wilder, where the young actor played the title character, a seventh-year senior who remains in college with the sole intention of partying all the time. This is where Reynolds perfected his arrogant comic persona, which has remained a part of his blockbuster movie career, eventually transforming into Deadpool in the Marvel movie franchise. While VanWilder is a product of its time, it remains a very funny look at the underbelly of college life.

The story sees Van Wilder meet a journalist for the college paper named Gwen (Tara Reid), and he sets out to win her over, which puts him in the crosshairs of her frat boyfriend, Dick (Daniel Cosgrove). There is also an incoming freshman named Taj (played by Kal Penn) who sees all of this from the outsider's point of view, and the parties and wild escapades make it a perfect movie for fans of Project X, although with more of a sex comedy storyline.

11 House Party (1990)

A Teen Sneaks Out To Go To A Big Party

One of the biggest early party movies that has achieved both cult classic status and also the respect of film critics is the 1990 Reginald Hudlin movie House Party. On the surface, this is a vanity project for the former rap duo Kid 'n Play, with Christopher "Kid" Reid and Christopher "Play" Martin in the lead roles. However, it is a much more important movie than that. Play announces he is having a party at his house while his parents are on vacation, and Kid wants to attend.

The final result was a film that the Library of Congress added to the National Film Registry in 2022.

However, when Kid ends up grounded after getting into a fight with a school bully, he has to sneak out and make his way to the party. Unfortunately for him, there are many things that get in his way on the way to the party and the film flips from his struggles to reach the party to the actual party that encounters its own Project X-styled mishaps. The final result was a film that the Library of Congress added to the National Film Registry in 2022.

10 The Hangover (2009)

Three Men Search For A Missing Groom Following A Bachelor Party Gone Wrong

The Hangover shares many similarities with Project X despite going in the opposite direction: while Project X follows a party spiraling out of control, The Hangover is set in the aftermath of the party. After what was supposed to be a typical Las Vegas bachelor party, friends Phil, Stu, and Alan wake up to find Doug, the groom, missing. What's more, there's a baby in their closet and a tiger in their bathroom. As the Wolfpack desperately tries to understand what happened the night before and race against time to save a wedding, problems only stack up.

The Hangover has a spectacular cast and feels like a hilarious puzzle, consistently surprising the audience by upping the ante. Similar to the way Project X deals with the unpredictability of a party, introducing a scenario where anything can happen, The Hangover unfolds a chaotic night that only gets worse as the characters dig deeper. Despite the two sequels being letdowns, there are hopes for a Hangover 4.

9 Superbad (2007)

Three Friends Encounter Endless Misadventures On Their Way To A Party

Both Superbad and Project X nail the concept of a seemingly endless night, introducing unpopular seniors Evan and Seth who are bonded by a common goal: to make a name for themselves at the party of their lives. The difference is that the Superbad characters spend most of the movie trying to get to said party. The number of absurdities and peculiar characters that get in the teens' way is hilarious, as the party becomes a seemingly unattainable final destination. As one of the movies to define the millennial generation, there would be no Project X without Superbad.

Superbad is considered a classic movie despite only being released in 2007. Even though the characters of both Superbad and Project X are engaging and funny, both movies are predominantly similar when the humor constantly evolves: as the hangout snowballs into an absolute nightmare, a series of hilarious circumstances force the teens out of their comfort zone. There's a specific point of "no return" when the characters realize they went through so much that it can't get worse — they just go along with it.

8 Booksmart (2019)

Two Academically Talented Girls Attempt To Enjoy High School For The First Time

Booksmart is a comedy that explores Project X's style from the perspective of two teen girls. The movie revolves around Amy and Molly, two high-school seniors who realize they wasted years of their lives refusing to have fun, always putting studies first. As their school year draws to a close, the two finally decide to work less and play more, setting out for an unforgettable night of fun.

Booksmart is a movie that positively represents queer love and uses the party scenario to address relevant topics such as sexuality and social anxiety. The teen comedy always maintains a funny, lighthearted tone that is also present in Project X. Although the focus is on the hangout storyline, the setup in the high school environment is just as funny and engaging, adding layers of nostalgia.

7 21 & Over (2013)

An Aspiring Med Student Is Convinced To Let Loose On His Birthday

Project X is an ode to irresponsibility, with the characters completely rejecting morality and letting go of everything they once knew as right. 21 & Over takes the subject one step further, getting rid of the high school scenario to address maturity and transition to adulthood. In the film, the rational and highly intelligent student Jeff Chang shows up to a seemingly innocent birthday celebration before the most important interview of his life. However, the small gathering quickly snowballs into a night of non-stop booze and debauchery.

While not one of Miles Teller's best movies, like Project X, 21 & Over is constantly reminding its audiences about the worst that can happen, working around the comical setup with effective levels of tension, as Chang cannot, under any circumstances, miss his interview. Similarly, Project X's Thomas is constantly repeating that the house must be kept tidy and clean. These hints only make the consequences of the main characters' reckless actions funnier, leading up to a great punch line.

6 Can't Hardly Wait (1998)

A Self-Conscious High Schooler Plans To Woo The Girl Of His Dreams At A Party

Project X is a movie that encapsulates the 2010s in every frame, from the digital-looking aspect of the found footage style to slang and pop culture references. Can't Hardly Wait is the film's 1990s counterpart, introducing the high school dynamics of that time through an unforgettable party on graduation day.

...captures Project X's feeling of the endless potential of being young and going for something seemingly out of reach.

Can't Hardly Wait has many likable characters who get themselves into a succession of increasingly ridiculous. The fashion defines the decade, as does the film's main cast, from Jennifer Love Hewitt to Seth Green. However, at its center, the movie captures Project X's feeling of the endless potential of being young and going for something seemingly out of reach.