YNMS: Life of the Party
Tuesday, February 6, 2018 at 6:42PM 
Seán here with an Awards Season Palette Cleanser to help you see beyond March 4th and onward to early summer. And what better way to note the passing of the seasons than with a Melissa McCarthy movie? Life of the Party, directed by McCarthy's husband, Ben Falcone, and written and produced by the two of them is set to be a scud missile of McCarthy's talents. But for every Spy there's a Tammy (and The Boss, and um, Ghostbusters) but by now there's no going back on the fact that a Melissa McCarthy film is something of a modern day event picture.
In Life of the Party, McCarthy plays Deanna Miles, a recently divorced suburban Mom who decides, decades later, to go back to college and finally get her degree. The catch? She ends up in the same class as her daughter! Uh-oh! It feels a little obvious when writing it down, but with McCarthy deeply involved in the project you can't feel anything but optimism...
YES
- Since this is a take on Rodney Dangerfield's 1986 Back to School, it has the charming setup of comedies of a bygone era, and McCarthy knows how to exploit that.
- M-McC's superpower is never being afraid to make a fool of herself for the sake of laughs, something not every actor can do. Her Waiting to Exhale moment? Brilliant.
- Maya Rudolph. That is all.
- Call me crazy but I get the impression that this trailer isn't using up all the best bits like others so wilfully do. Let's all assume she "finds herself" but the rest is a happy surprise!
- McCarthy's a fish out of water, albeit a fish who thinks they know what they're doing and is your Mom.
- You know this film is going to have loads of heart too - 10 bonus points if it makes your eyes all misty at some point.
- A supporting cast that includes Matt Walsh as McCarthy's ex-husband, and Jacki Weaver as her mother.
- Mothers and daughters haven't been this united in the cinema since Lady Bird!
- It isn't Bad Moms.
NO
- Okay, I'm not from the USA so can someone please tell me that not all American campuses look like this and it really is "just the movies"? Sororities, fraternities, red cups - the whole lot. Is this real?
- Again, do US college students really all look like this, the girls and their long hair and pretty outfits? Everyone I went to college with was a wreck.
- If the substance of the film is entirely that Deanna is Maddie's Mom and 'omg how embarrassing'... the joke may run thin quickly.
- Melissa McCarthy is hot or miss. She couldn't save Ghostbusters. The soup jokes?
MAYBE SO
- Christina Aguilera is also listed as being in the cast. What if Life of the Party and Burlesque exist within the same universe?!
- Molly Gordon is on the TV version of Animal Kingdom, the film that introduced Jacki Weaver to an internaional audience, and JW is playing her grandmother. That's cute!
- She knocks back shots. She dances. She kisses young fit jocks, the types that only exist in films. Let's hope for a little bit more than the obvious schtick.
It's Melissa McCarthy's timing, warmth, charm and ultra powerful vagoogle that makes her like no one else in the movies today. Can you see anyone else pulling this off? It's a YES from me.
But what do I know? Please use the comments to make me feel worthless!
Reader Comments (25)
I'm a yes. Will it be perfect? Probably not but all the reasons you finished with make it worth taking a chance. If it's half as much fun as Back to School it will be worth it.
I'll go with a maybe as I do like Melissa McCarthy.
I loved Ghostbusters. Come at me, bro!
LOL when I watch the clip and she's brushing her teeth at the beginning, the subtitles say "[crickets chirping]"
I'm a yes.
Tammy was ahead of its time.
"Life of the Party, directed by McCarthy's husband, Ben Falcone, and written and produced by the two of them is set to be a scud missile of McCarthy's talents. But for every Spy there's a Tammy (and The Boss, and um, Ghostbusters) but by now there's no going back on the fact that a Melissa McCarthy film is something of a modern day event picture."
I can't share your logic or optimism, considering that the only other films directed by Falcone and written and produced by the two of them are Tammy and The Boss.
Oooh the all female live action remake of An Extremely Goofy Movie
They had me at "vagoogle"
"Ghostbusters" remake was not that bad- well I'm a Chris Hemsworth completist
Even if her previous collaborations with her husband were wildly uneven (Tammy was beyond awful, The Boss was a slight improvement), both were money makers. This looks like perhaps, the duo have hit their stride creatively! Let's hope - even with the sting of Tammy, I'm still a fan and therefore a YES!
I went to school at the University of Kansas https://admissions.ku.edu/tour (ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!!!!) so, yes, they can look like that. As for the students, yes, some, and others look like everyone else. Cram every college movie into one campus, and that was my school.
This looks fun, and somehow reminds me of my Mom, even though we never "partied" at school. I wonder what the 80's / 90's throwback song is during The Big Dance?
I wish movies could trust McCarthy's amazing comedic instincts. In the first few seconds, I was in, as just seeing her brush her teeth, turn around, and see something she could react to, made me think "now this is the McCarthy I can get behind." But then it ruined it with pratfalls and terrible jokes.
McCarthy is so gifted. Give her a good movie (and yes, I count "The Heat" amongst her good movies.)
Nope
I am not a Melissa McCarthy completist but I love the woman's charm, and I deeply respect how hard she has worked to get herself where is right now in the industry. I know other amazing female comedians have come decades before her, but she must be one of the few successful pioneers in female-driven blockbuster comedies along with Sandra Bullock. With no disrespect to the wonderful Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Any Schumer, etc., they can't bring the same amount of $ that McCarthy pulls. Melissa deserves all the good-will and further success.
I actually really liked Ghostbusters, thought Spy was hilarious, and even got a lot of enjoyment to my better judgement out of The Boss, so I am a big yes on this. I like that the mother and daughter aren't antagonistic towards one another. Maybe there will be some of that in the movie, but I found it refreshing to see the daughter embracing her mother going back to college.
I LOLed at this being in the same universe as Burlesque. The 2 co-staring already gave us a great joy that is the gif Melissa dancing with Hello Kitty at Aguilera's birthday party so what more could we ask for.
http://i.imgur.com/4r33MEG.gif
your theory that the trailer isn’t using the best bits from the movie is...optimistic.
i’m a no.
The Boss is actually pretty funny.
why is Gillian Jacobs playing a college undergrad?
I already have plans to see this. McCarthy is such a warm, positive presence that I enjoy watching her even when her films aren't objectively good.
I'm a Maybe So leaning towards a Yes for all the reasons you listed here. Spy was great, Tammy wasn't but it wasn't terrible either.
And hey, those soup jokes in Ghostbusters were some of the only moments that had my sold-out theater laughing.
I adore Melissa McCarthy and will literally watch her in anything. That includes The Boss and Tammy, oy. Though I knew both of those would be bad from the trailers and this one doesn't so I'm holding out hope that third time's the charm for the wife-husband collaboration.
Oh and I loved Ghostbusters. Pfft
Google MM talking about her two dogs on 'Ellen'. Very funny and charming. I'm a big fan of 'Spy' and 'St. Vincent'.
Sorry YES - she always get's me - After Identity Thief I was hooked ... I think she's just brilliant even in a mediocre movie. And Hurray for a bold Supporting Actress Nominee 2011 - whenever did a funny character like Megan Price got recognized by the Academy ?
Never EVER miss Missy.