‘Life of the Party’ (PG-13)

Melissa McCarthy brings plenty of life, love and laughs to “Life of the Party,” a feel-good comedy that marks her best collaboration yet with husband, co-writer and director Ben Falcone. Instead of going for the same bawdy, obnoxious comedy route that doomed their 2014 comedy “Tammy” and hampered their slightly-improved 2016 effort “The Boss,” the comedy star and her close collaborator opted for a softer and sweeter approach with the PG-13-rated “Life of the Party,” and as a result, the duo has finally found a winning combination.

McCarthy stars as Deanna, a sickly sweet-as-pie mom who is suddenly kicked to the curb by her longtime husband, Dan (Matt Walsh) immediately after they drop their daughter, Maddie (Molly Gordon) off for her senior year at college. Left with no home since Dan on the sly put the house in his name thanks to his new lover, a crafty real-estate mogul (Julie Bowen), Deanna is inspired to finish out the final year of college she never got around since she was pregnant with Maddie. So, in a bit of symmetry, Deanna returns to he alma mater where Maddie is now a senior and discovers times have changed quite a bit in the 20 years since she left the school to become a homemaker.

AUDIO: Tim reviews “Life of the Party” with Tom Barnard on “The KQ Morning Show” (segment begins 2:30 in).

While “Life of the Party” gets off to a slow start as McCarthy goes through the paces of a cheesy, out-of-touch mother who has an accent reminiscent of Frances McDormand’s Marge in “Fargo,” things quickly pick up when she engages in the fish-out-of-water antics that go with being a non-traditional 40-something student trying to fit in with a bunch of modern-day academics. Whether she’s well, partying, or having a romantic liaison with a much younger man, McCarthy’s natural gift for comedy kicks in, and she raises the game of her co-stars (including Gillian Jacobs – who is wonderful as a clueless student who returns to school after spending eight years in a coma – former Disney Channel star Debby Ryan playing against type and Luke Benward as Deanna’s new boy-toy).

McCarthy’s at her absolute best, though, in her laugh-out-loud hilarious scenes opposite her “Bridesmaids” alum Maya Rudolph (who plays Deanna’s best friend), as the pair’s naturally comedic yin and yang take “Life of the Party” to a whole new level. Quite simply, McCarthy and Rudolph need to work together more often – on second thought, make that every single project they sign up for. Watching them together is high comedy at its very best.

While “Life of the Party” isn’t nearly as polished as McCarthy’s films with director Paul Feig (“Bridesmaids,” “The Heat” and “Spy”), the film is a big step forward from what she and Falcone have done in the past. By going the PG-13 route (there’s not one F-bomb to be had in the entire film), McCarthy gets to show off the sort of sweet side that made her so lovable in her brilliant supporting turns in “Bridesmaids” and the Bill Murray comedy “St. Vincent.” That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with the bawdy humor and all the F-bombs her characters have slung around in her previous films, it’s just after so many times, McCarthy has put herself in danger of being typecast in the same sort of role.

Thankfully, McCarthy avoids that trap with “Life of the Party,” giving her career, ironically, new life and as a result, the relatable heart this film needed to succeed.

Lammometer: 7 (out of 10)

Tim Lammers reviews movies weekly for The KQ92 Morning Show,” “KARE 11 News at 11” (NBC), WCCO Radio, WJON-AM, KLZZ-FM, “The Tom Barnard Podcast” and “The BS Show” with Bob Sansevere.

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