Making Lemonade Like Beyonce

The other day I had the pleasure of attending the advanced screening for Life of the Party.  You won’t find any spoilers here but I am always looking for a good theme and you will find what really resonated with me.

Life of the Party stars Melissa McCarthy as Deanna, a 40+ mom whose only daughter (played by Molly Gordon) is finishing up her senior year of college when she gets the devastating news that her husband (actor Matt Walsh) wants a divorce. In true Beyonce fashion, Deanna decides to make Lemonade out of lemons.  She has spent the last two decades as a stay at home mom and after receiving the news that her marriage is over, she realizes that she has let her dream deferred sit in the sun way too long. She decides to return to college to finish up her senior year as well, right alongside her daughter. Hold your high fives, there is so much more.

High Five to This 

Although this is certainly a comedy, this movie touched on so many important themes for me. If you have been following along on the blog you’ve probably heard me talk about getting Bolder, not Older and how women are living their best lives at midlife and beyond. This movie embodies that sentiment and manages to make a really serious issue for many women, hysterically funny yet still very relatable.

Here are three Life Of the Party themes that stood out

It’s Never Too Late-We all know someone who went back to college to finish up a degree (if you don’t know someone I can be that person for you). I also went back to college after getting a divorce so the idea that you can go back to school and finish what you started isn’t a new one, but Deanna actually GOES back to school, like full throttle rocking college tees and living in a dorm room college. But, the best part isn’t just her going to college to pursue her degree, it’s pretty much about her finding a way to crush her goals. Even though there are some bumps along the way, Deanna proves that if you want to reboot your life you can and more importantly you can do it at any age.

Bolder Not Older-There seems to be this idea that young women are the only ones throwing on pink hats with kitty ears and standing up for all of the important issues that face women, but the reality is that 40+ women are leading that charge. In this film you watch Deanna embrace her youthful side but she never lets go of the ideals that really impact all women.

Women Need Girlfriends– I have written about this before in my Why Women Need Best Friends Post and this film truly embraces the #WomenSupportingWomen movement. Maya Rudolph plays the very loyal and super funny best friend role of Christine. It’s very clear in this movie that Sisters before Misters is indeed a thing. The great part is that McCarthy plays the kind of woman that other women can get behind. She quickly grows her girl squad by being encouraging, compassionate, and uplifting. She’s certainly someone I’d want on my team.

You’re My Favorite

This movie was hands down my favorite Melissa McCarthy comedy. I literally laughed until I cried, but the funny thing is, I saw it with my 23-year-old daughter and instead of her being embarrassed she was laughing just as hard. This is a great mother-daughter or girls date movie. Perfect for a Mother’s Day weekend release.

I can’t wait to hear what you think about Life of The Party! What’s your favorite Melissa McCarthy movie? Please let me know in the comments below.

 

Until Next Post,