Life of the Party might be a far more tolerable Melissa McCarthy vehicle compared to Tammy and The Boss, but it’s still not all that good, either, with the humor rarely hitting the mark.
Life of the Party
(2018)
Genre(s): Comedy
Warner Bros. | PG13 – 105 min. – $35.99 | August 7, 2018
Date Published: 08/02/2018 | Author: The Movieman
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Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 2.25/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: When her husband suddenly dumps her, longtime dedicated housewife Deanna (MELISSA MCCARTHY) turns regret into reset by going back to college…landing in the same class and school as her daughter Maddie (MOLLY GORDON), who’s not entirely sold on the idea… at first. Before long, even Maddie’s friends begin to embrace Deanna and for her part, she embraces the college life she once left behind, engaging in partying behavior and even hooking up with a college-aged guy with a taste for chardonnay. Quick Hit Review: I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before in a previous review, but I am not the biggest fan of Melissa McCarthy, not so much that she isn’t talented, instead she tends to rely on the same comedic gimmick with very few exceptions (Spy, but even there, she falls back on yelling and being overly obnoxious). Her latest, again re-teaming with her writer/director husband Ben Falcone, is Life of the Party and although it’s certainly not very good, at the very least McCarthy doesn’t overdo it too much and I did manage to chuckle a few times here and there. The supporting cast probably did the best with the limited material like Maya Rudolph as Deanna’s best friend who supplies the sarcastic and often PG-13 crude lines while the “college”-aged actresses were fine, but nobody particularly stood out. As I mentioned, Life of the Party was directed by Ben Falcone, his third collaboration (and third film period) with wife Melissa McCarthy with another one, Superintelligence, on the way for late 2019. Now, on the plus side, LOTP was far better than the insufferable Tammy and The Boss, so the film has that, for whatever that’s worth… |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.75/5 |
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This release comes with a matted slip cover, inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. ‘80s Party (4:51; HD) breaks down how the 1980s party scene was put together and comments from the cast on their wardrobe. Mom Sandwich (2:45; HD) looks at the inspiration for Deanna’s parents. Deleted Scenes (46:36; HD) – Well, there is a ton (17 to be exact) of deleted footage here for you to peruse… We get a couple of Line-O-Ramas (3:02/2:44; HD) which I find pretty annoying, thanks a lot Judd Apatow. There’s also a Gag Reel (5:25; HD) included. Previews – Crazy Rich Asians, Ocean’s 8, Ready Player One |
VIDEO – 4.0/5 |
| Warner Brothers gets ready to party in 1080p high-definition with Life of the Party, presented in its original 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio. The picture looks pretty good and, being a comedy, offers some bright and cheerful colors while detail was generally sharp throughout. |
AUDIO – 4.0/5 |
| The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is more than adequate showing off the college party life with good usage of the surrounds for ambient noises while the center channel is mostly reserved for dialogue which comes through with good clarity. |
OVERALL – 2.5/5 |
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Overall, Life of the Party might be a far more tolerable Melissa McCarthy vehicle compared to Tammy and The Boss, but it’s still not all that good, either, with the humor rarely hitting the mark. |