Movie Review - Life of the Party

Life of the Party ** (out of 5) (PG-13) Melissa McCarthy can be a comic dynamo, so I always hope her next film will live up to the magical convergence of slapstick and character excellence she’s shown before from the likes of Bridesmaids and a highlight-reel set of sketches on Saturday Night Live (her Sean Spicer likely accelerated his departure). Once again, the material (which she co-wrote) ill-serves the performer. The script is a variation on Rodney Dangerfield’s hilarious Back to School, in which an oddball father alternately embarrasses and bonds with his son by enrolling at the same college. Some combination of scripting and timing makes this turn out more forced and less funny.

Maybe the reliance on Girl Power, as Melissa’s meek mom character finds her own latent, post-divorce powers, and tries to impart similar forms of self-esteem to her daughter and sorority sisters, rings hollow while more serious forms of the same are occurring all around us. The supporting characters (particularly Gillian Jacobs and Maya Rudolph) are too poorly crafted to make the substantive parts of the effort strike meaningful chord when they should. There’s a whole lotta shouting and overacting than seasoned comedic sensibilities should have allowed. Apart from one hilarious surprise, and a few solid lines and moments, laughs are few and far between. Another opportunity wasted for a gifted comedienne. (5/11/18)