In case you think this film might not appeal to you, I implore you… don’t be afraid of attending a romantic comedy just because it stars women over a certain age. It’s okay for men to show their sexuality at any age and now, due to this fierce cast of outstanding actresses we’ve all grown to know over the years, it’s acceptable for women to desire, talk about and be playful when it comes to the topic of sex. And are they ever playful. The comedic part of the film is represented well, as is their gender. The main characters are played with masterful timing by Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen. I couldn’t imagine a better lineup for such a film. Diane (Keaton), Vivian (Fonda), Sharon (Bergen) and Carol (Steenburgen) are introduced to us by Sharon talking in Voice-over about her longtime friends and how they started their Book Club. This isn’t completely necessary for such a narrative but does seem to be all the rage in films these days. We even see edited pictures of the four of them together when they were younger. Damn those gals were good looking… and still are!

Vivian is an extremely wealthy woman who wouldn’t dare let a man get close enough to her that he could hurt her as she did in her youth. See Don Johnson’s character Arthur for an example of that. They once had a relationship and now he’s trying to slip back into her life, but Vivian has all she needs with her money and best pals to keep her warm.

Sharon is a divorced federal judge who finds out her ex-husband Tom (Ed Begley Jr.) is remarrying someone half his age. She’s talked into trying an online dating site which at least gets her out there and moving on.

Diane is a widow who fights her children for control of her own life. They fear she’s too old to be alone and want her to move to Arizona to be with them. She doesn’t want to disappoint them but when she meets a pilot named Mitchell (Garcia), who supports her and offers her a new start, she has a hard time deciding who to let down. The very act of picking one over the other ultimately leaves her still losing out.

Carol is married to Bruce (Nelson) who hasn’t touched her in months and though she’s trying to get his attention, he doesn’t seem interested in making up for lost time.

These women have their bugaboos, their issues, but when they’re together, they have the kinship they need and the love they need to get them through any obstacles that momentarily stops them from being happy. If something gets in the way of their seeing one another they still get together, at least once a month, for their Book Club meeting which is something they cherish. This particular month, they are introduced to Christian Grey from the book ‘50 Shades of Grey.’ They enjoy it so much they’re tickled pink when they find out it’s a trilogy. Their discussions about and attitudes toward the book had the audience I was screening the film with, completely in tears. How it was edited was particularly clever to enhance the more witty elements of the film and endears the audience to the women even more as we got to know them one by one.

Their friendship, their love for one another and their refusal to give up on life are cherished and as far as summer movies go, is one worth watching… maybe more than once. It’s entertaining to see these gifted actresses work together. Their characters know each other so well, that they serve as a check on and call one another out when they know they’re lying or holding something back but embrace when it’s needed to hold someone up. The cast gave such believable performances it was effortless to believe they’ve been friends as long as suggested. It’s easy to say the wonderful script Bill Holderman and Erin Simms wrote together had a lot to do with that. He wrote a fun script and together everyone made a very fun movie.

“Life of the Party” is a new movie that relies on the comedy talents of the star, Melissa McCarthy. There is no problem with that, because McCarthy is a totally likable and engaging comic presence. She has the star power and charisma to pull off being a major player when given the right role. That is the biggest problem. Her abilities far overpower the meager gruel that this movie. She tones down her snappy and sarcastic style to play the neutral beige of her character, and jokes fall like gentle snowfall – when she is best suited for a full-scale blizzard of snark.

Deanna Miles (Melissa McCarthy) is dropping her only daughter Maddie (Molly Gordon) off at college for her senior year. Little does Deanna know that her husband Dan (Matt Walsh) is dropping Deanna – he wants a divorce from the bland matronly woman that he married. She is broken apart, and she knows she must propel her life in a new direction. She decides to go back and finish college herself. She had dropped out in her senior year to get married and have Maddie. Now it’s her time to shine. Her best friend Christine (Maya Rudolph) gives her the encouragement to get out on her own.

Deanna bring her cheerfulness and Hallmark-card sentimental gooey nature into the college dorms and classrooms and Greek houses. She is a little unusual, and some of the ‘mean girls’ make fun of her gentle and uplifting manners. But she endures, and even Maddie and her friends are brought over her sunny-side-up attitude. She attends the frat parties and becomes the teacher’s pet. She gets something going with a boy toy that is less than half her age. You go girl!

But her divorce proceeding threatens to bring the whole house down around Deanna. She gets a little bent out-of-shape and ruins Dan’s wedding reception. She is close to failing her favorite class and dropping out of school.  But her friends that she made in the sorority will help to throw a big bash for cash. And to get everyone to attend and pay the cover charge, they start the rumor that a big celebrity will stop by after her concert. But is all just a lie, or is it? Does her roommate actually have a secret of her own, one that will save the day?

Melissa McCarthy is the main player in this show, but she gets very little in the way of good material to work with. Mostly all the jokes are a variation of ‘Dad jokes’ just told by the Mom. There are a couple of snappy lines here and there, but most of the script seems to have been warmed over like a week-old stew on the low burner. There could have been much more zing in the story line, but Deanna is forced to get by on phrases like “I’m down to clown”. There is hardly any chemistry between the actors and almost no character development.

There is basically not much Life in this Party. It seems too toned-down to have any edge, and all that is left is a frumpy bedazzled sweater of a movie. It may look nice on the rack in the clothes store, but is not the right style that would have you wear it home.