By Ella Bloomingdale ’20

The new movie, “Life of the Party”, starring Melissa McCarthy was released on May 11. This feature film was an enjoyable “mom-com” about a middle aged mother who decides to take back her life and enroll in college with her daughter as they both finish their senior year.
McCarthy stars as Deanna – a cheesy, unicorn-sweater wearing and bright-spirited mother. When her husband springs on her that he is leaving her for another women and files for divorce, McCarthy, who dropped out of college when she got pregnant, decides to return and finish her senior year. The comedic twist is that she’s going to her daughter’s college, where they will have to “see each other on the quad” as Deanna puts it.
Evidently, having your mother attend college with you and all of your girlfriends is not the ideal situation for a college girl. But to the viewer’s surprise, Deanna’s daughter Maddie (played by Molly Gordon) easily adjusts to this wacky situation as her friends instantly love Deanna. In short time, Deanna becomes BFF’s with Maddie’s sorority sisters and her peppy personality increases her social status on campus and in class.
Although this movie is filled with light-hearted humor, there were some aspects that were so unbelievable and farfetched that it almost killed the humorous vibe. The over-the-top friendship that Maddie’s friends had formed with her mother – even inviting her to join their sorority and making her a central part of their friend group – was definitely implausible. It’s one thing to be nice to your friend’s mom, it’s a totally different thing to drink shots with her.
Another irksome point was Deanna’s love affair with Jack- a hot, popular 20-year-old student. Although a younger man and an older woman can have a healthy relationship, Jack’s is obsession with the much older Deanna is also very unrealistic.
But what saved the movie was McCarthy’s charming humor and bubbly personality. She perfectly pulled off Deanna’s transformation from a tacky knit-sweater wearing lady with an old-fashioned perm and mom glasses, to a cute trendy college student in ripped jeans and black boots. As Deanna learns to overcome her divorce, tackle two mean girls in her class and succeed as a student, I was rooting for her all the way.
Some of the supporting cast added to the hilarity as well. Gillian Jacobs played the role of Helen, one of the sorority sisters otherwise known as Coma Girl. Helen, who had been stuck in a coma for 8 years before coming to college, was a much more believable character than Maddie. But Maya Rudolph really put on a show as Deanna’s best friend from her married life, Christine. Whether she was getting hit in the crotch by a racquetball or defending Deanna at her divorce hearings, Rudolph’s Christine was absolutely hilarious.
“Life of the Party” might not be the deepest movie ever filmed, but there is a lot of joy and fun. It’s lighthearted while conveying a positive message. Overall, I really enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone who needs a good laugh. It really brought out the fact that even though it can be hard to live with your quirky mother, you have to look for fun ways you can relate to her on a whole new level. I would rank the movie 3.5/5 stars — it lost points for being unrealistic and silly but it was enjoyable to watch. As noted in Variety online, Deanna is a closet feminist. Deanna’s charm is her “certainty that these girls will become incredible women — and her insistence that they should seize their powers now.”