MOVIE REVIEW -- LIFE of the PARTY

May 17, 2018
By: Kathy Rupert-Mathews

We saw "Life of the Party" on Mother's Day.

Very cute show and appropriate for the day. I was a little worried because a couple movies Melissa McCarthy has made were pretty raunchy. This one was not.

Melissa McCarthy plays Deanna. She is a very typical stay-at-home mom and empty nester. She gets blindsided by a louse of a husband played by Matt Walsh. Deanna winds up back at her old college alma mater which her daughter is currently attending. Her daughter, Maddie, is played by Molly Gordon. At first, I was terrified Mom would wind up really dragging her daughter down or clinging to her. This was not the case.

The college is full of young fraternity hunks, mean girls and angst. Deanna has an affair with a frat boy played by Luke Benward. It's a very sweet storyline. Deanna gets involved with everyone's lives but not because she pushed her way in.

I really enjoyed the movie. It was well written and directed. Lots of laughs. The only thing that bothered me was the ending seemed a little flat. Not bad just flat. So go. Have fun. Eat popcorn.