“Mom, you’re a college girl now, and we’ve gotta make some changes!”
Definitely the last words Deanna ever expected to hear. And certainly not a situation this newly-divorced mother of a college senior, a newly-enrolled college senior herself, ever expected to find herself in at fortysomething.
Having dropped out to raise her daughter before earning her own degree, Deanna is finally thinking of her own future… minus her thoughtless husband, Dan.
The is the premise of Life of the Party, from writer/director/producer Ben Falcone and his partner in his professional and personal life, writer/producer/star Melissa McCarthy. Falcone explains he was inspired after a visit from his mother-in-law.
“At one point when Melissa’s mom, Sandy, was over, I began to imagine what it would have been like for her if, when she was 40, she’d gone back to school with Melissa at 18. I’ve always loved college-based movies, and combining that with the idea of restarting life because it’s never too late was intriguing. I brought it up to Melissa and we were off and running.”
“Ben said to me that I should go back to school… in a movie. And this story has so many other elements that interest me,” adds McCarthy. “Like the idea that someone who is suddenly thrown a huge curveball in life can be so upset at first, but then with a little distance, a little perspective, realise what they’ve really been given is a second chance. Or the fact that if you’re 50, you may live to be 100; you may not even be halfway done!
This was very meaningful to me, to be in a movie that shows it’s cool and acceptable to be close to your mom
“Life certainly isn’t over because you’re not 19 anymore, right?” she continues. “We wanted to create a story that encourages people to believe it is okay to be middle-aged and suddenly decide you are moving to another country, starting a vineyard or learning to bake bread. It’s never too late to redefine your life and to say, out loud: what about me?”
McCarthy was eager to recreate the college experience for the film. The actor recalls that she never appreciated college when she was there. She admits she probably wasn’t ready for it. “If I could just go to a history class or a math class now… that seems like a dream,” she muses. “And the thought of doing that with my mom? I think it would be a blast!”
Falcone says he is full of admiration for the character they created, who is at last putting herself first. “Deanna takes that step many of us think about doing but never actually do it. We get to see her fulfil a dream she’d given up on, which leads her on this really fun and, in some ways, totally unexpected adventure.”
Molly Gordan as Deanna’s daughter, Maddie. “I’m really close to my mom, so this was very meaningful to me, to be in a movie that shows it’s cool and acceptable to be close to your mom,” says Gordan.
Of course, it’s awkward at first, as Deanna begins to invade Maddie’s space. “She feels so bad for her mom, because what she’s going through is hard, and it’s hard on Maddie, too. Their little family unit is breaking apart,” Gordan continues. “She gets that her mom wants – needs – to do something new, but she’s a little weirded out by it. Especially when her friends love her mom so much, right off the bat. But she warms up to it.”
Producer Chris Henchy says that the film includes a great message that no matter where you are in life, you can hit the reset button, or pick up something that you haven’t done before but always wished you had.
“Melissa’s Deanna is a perfect example of somebody who you normally would not see in a bursar’s office paying for two more semesters of class, but there she is.”