Life of the Party

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Life of the Party

PG-13

2018

1h 45m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

38%

Tomatometer

153 Reviews

40%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

When her husband suddenly dumps her, longtime and dedicated housewife Deanna turns regret into reset by going back to college. Unfortunately, Deanna winds up at the same school as her less-than-thrilled daughter. Plunging headlong into the campus experience, the outspoken new student soon begins a journey of self-discovery while fully embracing all the fun, freedom and frat boys that she can handle.

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Critics Consensus

Life of the Party's good-natured humor and abundance of onscreen talent aren't enough to make up for jumbled direction and a script that misses far more often than it hits.

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J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Mar 16, 2020

The modern academic landscape of safe spaces and microaggression measurement might have given the old premise a good jolt, but Falcone and McCarthy take the easier route of throwing her character into the epic partying of the Greek system.

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Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

May 15, 2018

3/5

McCarthy doesn't try to conceal her purpose: she has won her power the hard way and she wants to use it for the greater good. That's part of what makes her the cultural icon she has become, the champion of downtrodden woman of all shapes and sizes.

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Roxana Hadadi

Chesapeake Family Magazine

May 14, 2018

2.5/5

Melissa McCarthy stars in Life of the Party, which uneasily tries to mix messages about female empowerment and body positivity with cliched jokes about aging.

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Kip Mooney

College Movie Review

Aug 21, 2021

B+

The comedy consistently works, with McCarthy showing off her versatility as a performer.

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Fletcher Powell

KMUW - Wichita Public Radio

Jul 16, 2021

While Life of the Party isn't, you know, what you would call "funny," for the most part it really means well.

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Alix Turner

Ready Steady Cut

Jan 31, 2021

2.5/5

Nothing new or outstanding in Life of the Party, apart from how tame and unfunny it was. I wish I hadn't bothered.

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Laurie H

@SoleJusticeReviews Dec 31, 2025

This movie is a feel good chick flick, especially for moms and daughters alike… Full of love, laughs, & fun!

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David F

@RT34372367 Dec 28, 2025

What happens when a movie studio says "Let's recycle the plot of Back To School With Rodney Dangerfield, but put the funny fat lady in"? This. Melissa McCarthy is a very good actress, but here, she hams her way through the whole thing, and alternates between embarrassing and unpleasant. Matt Walsh (not that one) is wasted.

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Ed R

@JustcallmeER Nov 6, 2025

Life of the Party's good-natured humor and abundance of onscreen talent aren't enough to make up for jumbled direction and a script that misses far more often than it hits. Not your typical Melissa McCarthy humor.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Nov 4, 2025

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Bobby O

@RT57283764 Nov 3, 2025

I honestly wasn’t even sure if this movie was comedy the jokes were so bad and corny. Absolute trash pile. Can we get one movie that isn’t about how much men suck? Or at least make one that’s actually funny…? This is typical Hollywood trash

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Karisha M

@RT38602940 Aug 28, 2025

I usually truly appreciate that type of movies -- silly and unserious movies. I really liked the fact Deanna reached her goal despite being dumped, the end was wholesome. I just found that the movie was not as funny and catchy as other similar ones.

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Ben Falcone

Director

Melissa McCarthy

Deanna

Gillian Jacobs

Helen

Maya Rudolph

Christine

Julie Bowen

Marcie

Matt Walsh

Dan

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Synopsis

When her husband suddenly dumps her, longtime and dedicated housewife Deanna turns regret into reset by going back to college. Unfortunately, Deanna winds up at the same school as her less-than-thrilled daughter. Plunging headlong into the campus experience, the outspoken new student soon begins a journey of self-discovery while fully embracing all the fun, freedom and frat boys that she can handle.

Director: Ben Falcone
Producer: Ben Falcone, Melissa McCarthy
Screenwriter: Ben Falcone, Melissa McCarthy
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Bros., On the Day
Rating: PG-13 (Partying|Drug Content|Sexual Material)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 11, 2018, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 18, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $52.8M
Runtime: 1h 45m

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