LIFE OF THE PARTY | FAMILY MOVIE REVIEW INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND KIDS

"LIFE OF THE PARTY"
(2018) (Melissa McCarthy, Molly Gordon) (PG-13)

QUICK TAKE:: Comedy: After being dumped by her husband, a woman returns to finish classes at her alma mater, much to the shock of her daughter who's starting her senior year there.

PLOT:

After dropping off their daughter, Maddie (MOLLY GORDON), for her senior year at Decatur University, Deanna (MELISSA McCARTHY) and Dan (MATT WALSH) -- who both went to school there long ago -- are seemingly headed home when he states he wants to end their two-decade-plus marriage as he's fallen in love with real estate agent Marcie (JULIE BOWEN) and wants an upgrade in both his life and wife departments. Deanna is shocked at the news and that he's selling their house (which is in his name), thus prompting her to move back home with her parents, Sandy (JACKI WEAVER) and Mike (STEPHEN ROOT).

With the encouragement from her best friend, Christine (MAYA RUDOLPH), Deanna then decides to go back to Decatur -- where she dropped out when she became pregnant with Maddie -- and get her archaeology degree. That initially doesn't sit well with Maddie who's horrified at the thought of them being classmates, but she quickly warms to the idea as do Maddie's close friends and sorority sisters, Helen (GILLIAN JACOBS), Amanda (ADRIA ARJONA) and Debbie (JESSIE ENNIS). Less excited is Denna's dorm roommate, Leonor (HEIDI GARDNER), an odd shut-in who gives everyone creepy vibes. Also less than thrilled is the mean girl duo of Jennifer (DEBBY RYAN) and Trina (YANI SIMONE) who think it's sad and pathetic that someone as old as Deanna is attending college.

Undeterred, Deanna returns to her classes and school work with reckless abandon, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have time to party with her daughter and friends. During one such event she meets hunky classmate Jack (LUKE BENWARD) and the two enter into a fast-moving love affair, something Deanna swears is just a one-time thing until it happens again and again. As the school year wears on, Deanna works hard to graduate, all while contending with her relationship with Jack, repeated put-downs by the mean girls, and news that Dan and Marcie are getting married.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: Fans of Melissa McCarthy will probably be interested, while the college setting might entice others.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13: For sexual material, drug content and partying.

To continue reading the review and all of the highly detailed, scene-by-scene listings of the sex, nudity, profanity, violence and more (15 categories):

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