Review: Life of the Party
The blessing of any talented performer is that they can often overcome, and sometimes elevate, sub-par material. Their curse is that they shouldn't have to. It can be argued that comedians work harder because the success or failure of their efforts is based on laughs and, the disparity between performer and material is more noticeable in a comedy than in a drama.
Take Melissa McCarthy in Life of the Party, which she co-wrote and co-produced and which, after Tammy and The Boss, finds her in her third pairing with director and husband Ben Falcone. It's not that Life of the Party isn't good - it certainly has many laugh out loud moments and a consistent feel-good factor - but there is a nagging sense that it isn't good enough for someone of McCarthy's capabilities. Not only does it let down McCarthy, it also fails the fabulous Maya Rudolph, McCarthy's Bridesmaids co-star, who nevertheless wrings laughs by sheer force of will.
The premise is promising if not particularly original, having previously been used for comic fodder by Rodney Dangerfield in Back to School and The Marx Brothers in Horse Feathers. McCarthy plays Deanna who, within minutes of dropping off daughter Maddie (Molly Gordon) for the first day of college of her senior year, is unceremoniously dumped by her husband (Matt Walsh), who also informs her that he has already started the process of selling their house (convenient as he has been sleeping with the realtor, played by Julie Bowen, another funny woman given precious little to do in this film). Having dropped out of college when she got pregnant and putting all her ambitions on hold to take care of her family, Deanna decides to enroll in college and embraces the school spirit and her daughter's circle of her friends, much to Maddie's consternation.
Well, it's not necessarily consternation, more like a mild but endearing irritant. Deanna is instantly welcomed by Maddie's group, mother and daughter do a walk of shame together, a made over Deanna attracts the attention of a co-ed named Jack (Luke Benward), who spends most of the film following her around like a lovesick puppy, Deanna deflects the slings and arrows of the designated mean girls. On the one hand, Life of the Party neither dwells in conflict nor look too deep under the surface. On the other hand, it's somewhat refreshing for a film to be content to coast along on espousing kindness rather than cruelty. Nevertheless, the film's overall charm and McCarthy's ball of fire energy aren't enough to mask the feeling that there could have been so much more than this particular end result.
Life of the Party
Directed by: Ben Falcone
Written by: Ben Falcone, Melissa McCarthy
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Gillian Jacobs, Maya Rudolph, Julie Bowen, Matt Walsh, Molly Gordon, Stephen Root, Jacki Weaver, Luke Benward, Adria Arjona, Jessie Ennis, Debby Ryan
