A High Distinction
Melissa McCarthy has done it again! if you’re a fan of previous McCarthy and Falcone works including The Boss and Tammy then you already know what you’re in for – a fresh comedy that is warm-hearted, uplifting and absolutely hilarious.
Life of the Party is a story about devoted mother and wife Deanna (Melissa McCarthy) whose husband (Matt Walsh) asks for a divorce only minutes after dropping their only daughter off for her last year at college. Reflecting on the last 20 years Deanna decides her biggest regret is having never finished college and after nostalgically looking through some old photo albums she decides to re-enrol at her previous college … which is, of course, her daughter’s current college. As you can imagine what follows is a string of hilarious college encounters including daggy outfits, a gothic roommate, the typical mean girls and the not so typical boy toy.
Anybody that has seen a film made by the power couple Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone knows that the duo’s creations are notoriously funny. Melissa McCarthy perfectly combines verbal and physical comedy as well as the occasional moment of slapstick which is rare for female comedians to do but works so perfectly for her. Occasionally throughout Life of the Party the jokes feel a little expected and some of the punchlines don’t play off as well as they could have; however, there were also some unexpected plot twists that caused the entire cinema to erupt into bouts of laughter lasting for minutes and ending with us all shedding tears and grasping at our sides.
Asides from the ever-flawless Ms McCarthy, the film was exceptionally cast and perfectly utilises many comedic actors including Matt Walsh (best known for his role in Veep) as the horrible ex-husband, as well as Gillian Jacobs (best known for Community and Netflix series Love) as the adorable yet kickass college sidekick. Julie Bowen (of Modern Family fame) brings a hilariously snarky element to the film while Maya Rudolph is the amazing best friend and comic emphasis that takes some scenes from giggle-worthy to side-splitting.
Another thing I felt was important to note for this film, in particular, was that it passes the Bechdel Test! The Bechdel test states that two named female characters must have a conversation with each other about something other than a man. Granted this film does feature a lot of women talking about men, however, there is also an exceptional amount of conversations had between Deanna and her college roommate Leonor, her daughter Maddie, college friends including Jacobs’ Helen, and best friend Christine (Rudolph) where no man is mentioned at all.
Life of the Party has everything – Melissa McCarthy, an empowering storyline, a heart-warming ending, an important moral and the always cheesy surprise musical guest.
If you are looking for a good laugh mixed with a healthy dose of female empowerment, this is the film you are looking for.