About Us
Melissa McCarthy is taking us back to school in the new comedy Life Of The Party. McCarthy plays Deanna, a middle-aged woman who finds out after dropping their daughter off for her senior year of college that her husband (Matt Walsh) is not only having an affair but also wants a divorce. After reevaluating her life she decides the one thing she can do to help get back on her feet is to finish her final year of college that she dropped out of when she got pregnant with her daughter. So just like that Deanna is a college senior alongside her daughter and is learning what it takes to take back control of her life and follow her own dreams.
I can already tell you this will be one of those films that critics are going to hate, but regular people will probably enjoy and get some good laughs out of. I know I was entertained by this movie and I feel like most fans of McCarthy's work will enjoy this film. Her zany antics are something many of us have grown to love and this film has no shortage of them. There were several times while watching that people were laughing so hard that you missed big chunks of dialog. This is a feel-good movie.
Now I do acknowledge the parallels between this film and movies like Back to School starring Rodney Dangerfield, but this movie feels slightly more dialed down. While Deanna isn't joining her school's diving team, she is hooking up with a young frat guy and learning to do shots while cramming for finals. More than that she is also empowering and building up the self-confidence of the girls around her which is the most important aspect of the film. The movie is quick to point out that girls have a bad habit of acting like we are all each others competition and not building each other up. Plus it was also nice to see an older woman getting her groove back and her friends cheering her on.
For me, I liked this movie, but I do realize this may not be for everyone. If McCarthy's style of humor isn't your thing then this movie will probably be one you need to wait to watch, but if you like her then this should definitely be on your box office radar for the weekend. We scored this one with a B-. It is just an easy comedy to enjoy. Grab your mom or your daughter and head to the theater to check out Life Of The Party.
Life Of The Party hits theaters everywhere May 11th.
Life Of The Party
Rating: B-
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