A Good Old Fashioned Orgy

A Good Old Fashioned Orgy was long in development, with Gregory and Huyck beginning writing the script as early as 1997 while they were writers on the television series, The Larry Sanders Show. The concept of the film was based upon a story told by a fellow writer concerning a party he had attended in the Hollywood Hills that ended in an impromptu orgy. Skeptical about the amount of truth to the story, believing that people would be "too full of shame, fear and guilt to make a successful orgy happen," it nevertheless inspired Gregory and Huyck. The pair believed that the concept would make for an interesting ensemble comedy due in part to the powerful emotions that such a sexually charged situation would entail. The characters were all based upon Gregory, Huyck and their own friends. Gregory claimed that Eric (Sudeikis) and Mike (Labine) are based largely on Huyck with both Sudeikis' and Labine's wardrobe being based on him. Huyck claimed that Adam, Glenn and Marcus were based on Gregory.[5]

Gregory and Huyck brought their first draft to their current TV agent who advised them to progress no further with the idea and abandon the project. Undaunted, the pair circulated the early draft and met with several producers to assemble a production team. With producers in place, the pair then began thinking about casting, initially setting their sights on Vince Vaughn. Vaughn ultimately did not take part in the film but worked with Gregory and Huyck on reworking the script.[5] On Vaughn's input, Gregory stated:

Vince Vaughn gave us the single best piece of advice about the movie. We [Gregory and Huyck] were trying to make a generational movie, and he suggested that in order to make something universally resonant, you need to make it specific and personal. It's counterintuitive, but he was right. We're both really pretty square, which is why we think this is such an uncomfortably funny area. If we were orgy guys, this would have been a hyper-realistic drama.[5]

With the new plot direction, the pair revisited the casting of the lead role, Eric. Huyck eventually saw Sudeikis singing karaoke at a Saturday Night Live after party and felt he would fit the role. At the time, Sudeikis was only a writer for Saturday Night Live and it was felt that his playing the film's lead would require a leap of faith. After Gregory saw Sudeikis acting on the comedy show 30 Rock however, he was also convinced that Sudeikis would be perfect for the role. While interviewing casting directors, Susie Farris stated her first choice for the role would also be Sudeikis, resulting in her being hired.[5]

Principal photography for the film commenced in May 2008 in Wilmington, North Carolina, taking place over 30 days.[5][12] Wilmington was chosen due to it possessing the largest studio infrastructure on the east coast of America and because of the native architecture that bore similarities to homes found in the Hamptons of New York City. No stages or sets were created for the production with all filming occurring on location in actual businesses and locations using local residents as extras. One business in particular, only agreed to filming after it was agreed that the business name, "Fred's Beds", appear in the racy scene involving research for the orgy at a sex club. A late night party scene involved local extras and was filmed over 10 hours. During filming, the producers commissioned The Wallnuts Crew to spray paint graffiti on the wall of a local business for the punk rocker polaroid photo shoot scene. As the graffiti artist worked on the backdrop the police stormed the set completely unaware there was a permit issued.[5]

A Good Old Fashioned Orgy received a limited release in the United States on September 2, 2011 across 143 theaters.[12][17] During its opening weekend, the film grossed $154,604 over the 4-day Labor Day weekend.[17] The film ultimately earned $200,227 in the United States and $1,178,720 elsewhere for a total of $1,378,947 worldwide.[17]

A Good Old Fashioned Orgy received mixed reviews from critics. As of October 2021, the film holds a 35% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 65 reviews with an average rating of 4.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Its titillating title promises ribald laughs, but the lazily written, indifferently acted, and only sporadically funny A Good Old Fashioned Orgy fails to consummate."[1] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 44 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[18]

John Defore of The Hollywood Reporter compared the film favorably to "'80s summer romp-romances", describing it as a "solidly commercial picture". DeFore appreciated the "witty banter" delivered by the cast but singled out Labine as "inherently funny" and the "cast's only automatic laugh-getter". DeFore however lamented that the film was "less outrageous than expected" given the premise and "may leave audiences wanting more". DeFore was critical of the film for including women who "look like models" in the orgy "while only one of the men can be called handsome."[19] John Anderson of Variety reacted positively to the film, stating "the comic timing of this sex-saturated farce...adds up to a winner in the laughs department", echoing DeFore's sentiments that the dialog is "smart".[6]

Katie Calautti of Comic Book Resources appreciated the "whip-smart humor" and "palpable chemistry" between the cast. Calautti concluded her review by saying "The happy ending, though, is that their spot-on casting and solid narrative deliver bang for your buck."[10] The Village Voice enjoyed the film, stating "riffs and one-liners fly from every corner, fast enough to avert the sting of the lamer gambits" and concluded that it "may be the sex comedy this generation deserves."[20]