Life of the Party

Life of the Party is a comedy about Deanna, a woman who spent years as a devoted wife and mother. When her husband leaves her without warning, she decides to take her life in a new direction: she enrolls at the same university her daughter attends, and the two end up in the same class. Her daughter is less than enthusiastic about the arrangement, but Deanna throws herself into campus life, adopts the nickname Dee Rock, and approaches parties, new friendships and romance on her own terms.

Ben Falcone directed the film, his third feature after Tammy and The Boss and before Superintelligence and Thunder Force. Melissa McCarthy stars as Deanna and wrote the screenplay with Falcone; both also produced, alongside Chris Henchy. The supporting cast includes Matt Walsh as Deanna's husband Dan, Molly Gordon as her daughter Maddie, Gillian Jacobs, Luke Benward and Maya Rudolph. The production involved 44 credited cast members and 200 credited crew.

Released in May 2018, the film runs 105 minutes. Made for a budget of 30 million US dollars, it took in about 66 million dollars worldwide, a modest return relative to its cost. Audience response has been middling: on IMDb it holds 5.6 out of 10 from roughly 42,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.1 out of 10 from around a thousand votes. A critics' rating stands at 5 out of 10 from 153 reviews, placing professional and audience assessments close together.