Life of the Party

                                                                                           

There is a movie on cable called Life of the Party starring Melissa McCarthy. I saw the movie on television at least four times. I’ve watched it alone and then I have watched it with my daughter and with one of my granddaughters. I know that I have downloaded it on my DVR. Today while I was in Target, I saw it on the shelf and promptly picked it up, purchased it, and bought it.

To me, this movie spoke volumes. It’s so funny, despite at times being unbelievable.  The opening scene where the husband and wife dropped off their daughter at college really resonant with me. I had nine children and each time that one would go off to college, a small part of me died when I had to say goodbye. The part that really resonated was when the couple drove off and the husband stopped the car, looked at his wife and announces that he wants a divorce. The confused look and then the disbelief and then the hurt on the woman’s face are gut wrenching to say the least.  I felt the same way the main character did and still remember it. That scene hit close to my life because my ex left me after our youngest child went to college.

The wife could have bottomed out, taken drugs or alcohol, but instead after a few days, she enrolls in college; the same college where her daughter is attending. That was pretty ironical because I did the same thing; I enrolled in a master’s program in one of the area colleges. None of my children attended that college.

Unlike a few things that were similar, the main character and I had a number of differences. She probably was in her early 40s while I was in my mid-50s.  She had that school spirit and was eager to attend college even to the point of living on campus, and buying ever school spirit shirt, hat, sweatshirt and more.

I didn’t live on campus. I was a commuter. I was nervous but I wanted a degree in writing. I also hadn’t set foot on campus for over 35 years. Things had really changed; even to how young the students, the instructors, and my own advisor. I realized that I could easily have been their mother. It didn’t help that my advisor was cute…that just made me tongue tied and uncomfortable. My writing was good but my advisor was a poet and he liked the works of the younger writers. It seemed vulgar language and sex was high on his preferential list. My life in comparison was dull; it was filled with kids, grandkids, animals, and self-doubt.

The main character in the movie seemed to fit into the college scene well. She even went to a frat party, where her daughter upgraded her mother’s looks. The Mom looked great and younger and eventually she would end up with one of the frat guys and do the so called ‘walk of shame’ out of the fraternity house. That scene was uncontrollably hilarious and now I know why depends are the in thing.

There is also a scene in the movie, where the main character ate her fill of chocolate bark, only to be informed it was medical marijuana. I sampled a chocolate candy and like the main character my eyes felt like those comic book googly eyes. The world felt different and waves of uncontrollable laughter assaulted me. Going up was great, coming down was not so much fun. By the way – when I sampled this edible treat I was in a state where it was legal.

Yes, she graduated with her daughter. Her future seemed pretty good and positive. I graduated as well and am plying my trade as a writer. Sometimes I come out on the winning end, despite writing and researching places to send my stories, and being rejected.

So, every so often when I need a good laugh or I need to pick myself up…I put on Life of the Party and laugh my way up.