Life of the Party (2018)

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  TheMovieDiorama

  4 / 10

  Life of the Party is Melissa McCarthy playing Melissa McCarthy as an older Melissa McCarthy amongst younger Melissa McCarthy minions. By the way, did you know Melissa McCarthy is in this? Whatever happened to her! She used to be great, I mean look at 'Bridesmaids' and 'Spy'. But these collaborations with husband director Ben Falcone just isn't working...at all. A mother going through a surprise divorce seizes the opportunity to enrol back into college to finish the course she once dropped out of. Parents, grandparents, relatives or even undercover agents going back to school is nothing new. We've seen it all before, which proves to be this comedy's biggest detriment. It's a clichéd uninspired bore that injects no life to the party at all. McCarthy is just her usual clumsy self as she muddles her way through college encountering her daughter's sorority house and a young frat boy. We get it, she's a mum going to school with her daughter, it's just not funny. In terms of laugh out loud moments, they were non-existent...except for one absolute genius scene which made me clap and exclaim "oh my god, did not see that coming!" (the super awkward dinner scene if you wish to know). Any screen time for Maya Rudolph certainly did put a smile on my face, I find her comedic execution always timely and knows how to make me chuckle. Falcone's direction was so incredibly basic, but it was the jarring editing that just seemed unusually abrupt. As if scenes were cut short for no apparent reason, this was especially highlighted when a girl shouts "I like your vibe" to a roommate who then responds with "...why?", then the scene cuts. Was...was that supposed to be a joke or y'know, was that bad editing? I'm going with the latter. The narrative tone has buoyancy where everything felt so fluffy and lovely, to which the more emotional scenes delivered no impact. She's going through a divorce, these are tough times...and yet I felt nothing. It's a watchable flick, but if Melissa McCarthy is the life of the party then I don't want to be apart of it. An extra mark for using Fergie's 'M.I.L.F' though.

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