Life of the Party Parent Guide

“Follow your dreams” are familiar words to generations of high school grads. Deanna (Melissa McCarthy) put her dream of an archaeology career on hold when she married Ben (Matt Walsh), became pregnant with Maddie (Molly Gordon), and dropped out of university. Fast forward twenty plus years and Matt tells Deanna he wants a divorce – “an upgrade in my life”. He has a new girlfriend and has already begun the sale of their home. With her world turned upside down, Deanna decides to return to school, complete the remaining year of her degree, and achieve her goal. The only catch is that daughter Maddie is a senior at the same institution.

Maddie is originally less than enthusiastic about her mother’s return to college. Deanna has a high octane personality and lacks a verbal filter and Maddie squirms as her mother shares embarrassing childhood stories with her sorority sisters. But they quickly come to appreciate her resilience and joie de vivre. After an episode with some mean girls, Maddie throws herself into helping her mother feel at home in her new environment.

The movie’s most positive messages stem from Deanna’s personality and her relationship with Maddie. She is irrepressibly cheerful and consistently kind to others, including her morose roommate. Her courage, enthusiasm, and determination inspire the sorority girls. Although Deanna faints while giving an oral presentation in class, she tries again and succeeds. The mother-daughter relationship is warm and affectionate. Deanna is devoted to her daughter and Maddie loves her mom enough to forgive some very poor behavior on her mother’s part.

And there is plenty of bad behavior to forgive. Parents will be concerned about the number of reckless activities Deanna engages in, particularly her sexual promiscuity. Deanna goes to a party and has impulsive sex with one of the young men at the frat house, which is followed by sex in the library stacks and an implied continuing relationship. There is no visible sexual activity or nudity but the intent is clear. Deanna and other characters also drink heavily in social situations with one character encouraging Deanna to get “jackhammer blasted”. Another tells her that irresponsible alcohol use is the way to manage stress, “You’re in college now. You’ve got to learn to party through it.” Deanna and her young friends also inadvertently eat large quantities of marijuana laced snacks.

The pot edibles lead to further inappropriate conduct. While stoned, Deanna and her friends crash the wedding of her ex-husband. Originally intended as a friendly visit, the women get offended and vandalize the reception, throwing over tables, breaking glassware, and smashing the wedding cake. Ben and his new wife are understandably outraged and Ben cuts off Deanna’s financial support.

This leads to further ethical lapses. With no money coming in, Deanna decides to drop out, until her young friends plan a fundraising party on her behalf. When no one attends the event, due to a rock concert on the same night, one of the young women places a false notification on social media promising a celebrity visit. Large crowds descend on the sorority house and only an unlikely event saves the day.

The story ends with Deanna achieving her dream of an archaeology degree. But this film is unlikely to be a dream come true for families. Although Deanna exemplifies many positive character traits and the female characters model supportive relationships, the content issues are too serious for Life of the Party to be recommended for children. The movie’s depictions of drug use, rampant alcohol consumption, sexual promiscuity, and criminal activities (vandalism and fraud) are the type of education most parents do not want their children to receive.