Party Pirate: Good Intentions Aside, It's Avast Disappointment

By Liz Braun

Rating: C

There’s a running gag involving a purple plastic penis in Party Pirate, a well-intentioned comedy about neurodivergence. That wine-hued willie gets flagged up front because it typifies the movie’s juvenile humour.

Central to the story is Tommy, a lovable loser with ADHD, dyslexia and a few other differences. Tommy (comedian Luke Lawrence, who also wrote the film) is highly creative, but scattered; he’s a struggling actor and pays the bills working as a dishwasher in a restaurant.

Joel Thomas Hynes and Luke Lawrence (in the bandana) star in Party Pirate.

We see Tommy read lines at an audition — his dyslexia sinks his chances fairly quickly. The scene is played for laughs, but Lawrence conveys the confusion and disappointment his character experiences on a regular basis.

Tommy is pleased to land an acting job as a party pirate, a swashbuckler who dresses up and waves a fake sword around for the amusement of children at birthday celebrations. Another party pirate (Joel Thomas Hynes) had to get fired for Tommy to land the job, however, so there is strife in Tommy’s future. The old salt who got fired zips around on a skateboard, threatening Tommy for taking away his job.

With the help of his friends, Tommy gets through various pirate-themed challenges, including an incident when one child wanders away from a birthday party and goes missing. 

The violet vibrator comes into play after Tommy is hired to play a pirate at an adult sex party. Later, he and the fired pirate who has been harassing him have a pretend sword fight, and Tommy brandishes that purple plastic penis instead of a blade. 

For some reason, a boat is stolen, everyone gets stoned on mushrooms and Mary Walsh makes a brief and amusing cameo.

Party Pirate is a harmless attempt to cast light on learning differences and it’s obviously a labour of love. But the storytelling is eventually sunk by its puerile humour. There are some charming moments, such as claymation sequences when Tommy is being introspective, and it’s a pity the obvious potential here is never realized.

That doesn’t mean Party Pirate won’t find an audience. 

Kids are fascinated by adults who are bad at adulting, and Party Pirate — with the silly jokes, bad language, ‘shrooms, rubber sex toys and all — has apparently been put to good use in the classroom, helping educate adolescents about learning differences. 

And the movie has won a handful of awards at various North American film festivals. So, what do I know?

Party Pirate: Directed by Ruth Lawrence, written by Luke Lawrence. Stars Luke Lawrence, Joel Thomas Hynes, Sima Sepehri, Che Durena. Available on Prime Video and Apple TV+