Melissa McCarthy debuted the trailer for her upcoming film Life of the Party on The Ellen DeGeneres Show today (Feb. 5). Not only does McCarthy star in the movie, but her husband, Ben Falcone, directed it. The comedy is inspired by Rodney Dangerfield’s Back to School.
After her husband unexpectedly leaves her, McCarthy’s character, Deanna, decides to follow her daughter, Maddie (Molly Gordon), to college.
“I don’t regret staying home and being your mom,” she admits in the trailer, “but I regret not getting my degree.”
So she sets fire to her old life and marches to her daughter’s university.
Instead of being angry at her mom’s intrusion, the daughter gives her mom a makeover and shows her around campus. Deanna quickly falls into the swing of things and into the arms of a stranger in a library, much to her best friend, Christine’s (Maya Rudolph) shock.
While she’s living her life to the fullest, Deanna is also there for Maddie, whether her daughter wants it or not. In the end, the film is about bringing together a mom and a daughter. That’s why The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Life of the Party and Ben Falcone and Melissa McCarthy themselves donated a total of $75,000 to a mother-daughter duo from the audience. Mom, Chassidy Jackson-Goodwin, put her education on hold to take care of her daughter, Jaida Jackson, and now they’re both able to finish school – just like in Life of the Party.
The movie features Julie Bowen, Chris Parnell, Gillian Jacobs and more, plus a cameo from Christina Aguilera. Life of the Party hits theaters on May 11, 2018.
