Nothing ushers in the summer box office season better than a feel-good college movie that doesn’t stray from the successful formula that was set back in the days when Revenge of the Nerds was still a twinkle in the eyes of its makers.
Nearly 35 years later, Life of the Party skips down the same beaten path, picking up pals along the way from past films such as Clueless, Mean Girls, 10 Things I Hate About You, Old School… you get the script.
Melissa McCarthy plays loyal housewife Deanna Miles, who is unsuspectingly dumped by her husband as they’re seeing off their daughter to college. Left bereft, Deanna decides to return to her alma mater to complete her degree and plunge headlong into campus life, much to the (short-lived) chagrin of daughter Maddy (Molly Gordon).
McCarthy, who has incidentally produced and co-written the screenplay with husband and director Ben Falcone, plays it safe when she pens in the usual suspects for those jabs at humour. The motley cast of characters have stepped right out of the pages of Writing a College Comedy 101; we have the gruff roommate with a heart of gold, the campus mean girl, said girl’s trusty sidekick, the oblivious sorority sister, the snarky other woman, a budding May-December romance and an eccentric bestie playing their parts on cue.
Calling Life of the Party a coming-of-age film for millennials may not be too far off the mark; there are enough Princess Bride makeovers and Harry Potter sub-texts to lure the ‘Netflix and chill’ crowd in for a gander, even as McCarthy subtly (and perhaps unintentionally) pays homage to the ghosts of all college films past.
Yet, despite its predictable narration at every turn, the film serves up some genuine laugh out loud moments with McCarthy at its helm. The endearing Deanna, who graduates into Dee Dee and later, Dee Rock, sheds each layer — both figuratively and literally — with a childlike earnestness. Even the distinct changes in the body language as we watch the transformation is a testament to McCarthy’s versatility as an actress.
Where the film stumbles though is the sloppy handling of the plot. Each challenge that Deanna faces is dealt with almost too easily, without the necessary build-up or the emotional investment into her struggles. At times, it almost appears that the makers were too busy following the textbook narrative to really flush out any one scene. Let’s pack it all in and leave no gag behind.
Despite being the life of this party, McCarthy’s character is almost too mechanical at times; one that’s an ‘old gal’ at the comedy genre, but prefers going through the motions rather than adding anything new to the narrative. There are moments where the spark that was evident in Bridesmaids, The Heat and even the Ghostbusters reboot appears to crackle, but there is always someone waiting in the wings to douse the fire.
Life of the Party is the third effort by the husband-wife duo, who previously gave us Tammy and The Boss; both of which did nothing to shake up the box office. This time around, the McCarthy-Falcone team will go up against the might of the Avengers. If this feel-good comedy lands at the number two spot, then that’s a battle won indeed.
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Check it out!
Life of the Party will screen in the UAE from May 10.
