You're Never Too Old
Posted by TestOut Staff on
It would seem that most of the nation's moviegoers are still infatuated with the story of the big purple guy — I think Star Lord calls him "Grimace," in the movie — and the magic rocks. Avengers: Infinity War sold $62 million worth of tickets at North American theaters, roughly as much as the next eight movies combined. (The eighth of those 8 movies, incidentally, is Black Panther — still in the Top 10.)
My point is not so much to marvel (ahem) at the might of Disney's biggest box office brand, although this sure would be a sweet time to open up a box in grandpa's attic and discover a pile of original Disney stock certificates. No, I'm just observing that most people probably didn't see the most profitable new theatrical release of the weekend, the Melissa McCarthy college comedy Life of the Party.
Life of the Party, which did okay for itself with first-weekend ticket sales of $17.9 million, is about newly divorced Deanna, whose only child, daughter Maddie, has just gone away to her senior year of college. Suddenly single, mom has a "what the heck" moment and decides to move in with her little girl, enroll, and finish the degree that she bailed on 20 years ago after getting pregnant.
I'm guessing it wouldn't spoil the ending, or at least not to most would-be viewers, to speculate that Deanna probably completes her schooling and achieves her dream of graduating from college with a degree in archaeology. Predictability is not the point anyway. The point is that it's cool to finish things, and that you're never too old to settle in, apply yourself, and accomplish something awesome.
McCarthy herself is kind of a cool illustration of the movie's message. After "breaking out" as a recurring character in Gilmore Girls all the way back in 2000, she drifted along in supporting roles for more than a decade before suddenly and improbably becoming a bona fide movie star at age 40 following a string of hits that began with a memorably profane performance in the raunchy wedding comedy Bridesmaids.
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