One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Mitchell brings a lively visual sensibility to the screen, so at least it looks stellar. Everything else -- the film's tone, its message, its very purpose -- is caught between two different worlds.

Punk in this film is not angry so much as revolutionary, fueled by ideas and optimism. That may seem like an alien idea today, but Mitchell makes it seem right on time.

How to Talk to Girls at Parties is spirited but doesn’t have anything new to say. And it has an embarrassing relationship with its female characters. The film undoubtedly captures something; it’s just nothing I have any desire to watch.