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Posted May 9, 2018 by Scott Davis in Features
 
 

The Preview Reel: Life of the Party and Breaking In

Welcome to this week’s “Preview Reel” column, where we look at the week’s upcoming wide-release movies. Avengers: Infinity War continues to break records as it has become the fastest film in history to reach $1 billion worldwide, and is already the 15th highest-grossing movie of all-time in just two weeks of release. The film is an undeniably huge hit for Marvel, and one that many studios saw coming as there’s slim pickings at the cineplexes this week. Two counter-programming films, Melissa McCarthy’s comedy Life of the Party and Gabrielle Union’s thriller Breaking In, will look to attract those who don’t want to see superheroes punch it out. Let’s see if either of these are worth your time, or if you should just wait until Deadpool 2 comes out next weekend.

 

Life of the Party

Life of the Party posterWhat we are excited about: Melissa McCarthy has been very hit or miss with her comedies. Mike & Molly was a huge hit for years and Bridesmaids (2011) made her an Academy-Award nominated actress, so she obviously has a talent, but sometimes her comedies can be way off (more on that later). When she hits, she hits big, and if Life of the Party can capitalize on her brand of humor, it could be a fun time at the theater.

What we are worried about: When Melissa McCarthy movies are bad, they are “really” bad. Movies like The Boss (2016), Tammy (2014), and Identity Thief (2013) tried to take advantage of her comedic style, but failed miserably. When the jokes aren’t landing, she comes off as too brash and crude, which is not entertaining to watch. There are more things to Life of the Party, like Gillian Jacobs and a fun comedic premise, but it’s success will most likely come down to how funny McCarthy is. Her track record isn’t perfect, which gives us a little cause for concern.

The Buzz: There isn’t a whole lot of buzz surrounding this movie as most of the internet is still talking about Avengers: Infinity War, but comedies like this can prove to be successful counter-programming to larger, bigger budget flicks. It’s been two years since McCarthy has had a movie out, and we’ll see if that affects the box office, but we don’t think it should. We’ll project a $19 million opening.

Final Thoughts: If you want a comedic break between Avengers: Infinity War and the upcoming onslaught of the summer movie season, this could be a breezy, fun comedy worthy of your time.

 

Breaking In

Breaking In posterWhat we are excited about: The concept of the film is unique; instead of the bad guys trying to break into a secure home, the protagonist is going to have to break into her own “secure” home to save her family. It’s a twist on the genre, but other than that, there isn’t much to be excited about with this generic looking thriller.

What we are worried about: Like we said, the concept is cool, but we think that the film will run out of steam very quickly. We’re hopeful that the filmmakers have enough clever ideas to keep this interesting, but the trailers don’t seem to be giving off that vibe. This movie is being marketed as a mother trying to save her children and therefore is the perfect movie to see with mom on Mother’s Day, but we’re not buying it. This looks like a rental at best.

The Buzz: Next to no buzz is surrounding this one, and with no reviews as of this writing, this should come and go with little fanfare. Look for an opening around $9 million.

Final Thoughts: This looks like a Friday-night rental down the road, but certainly not something worthy of a theater viewing.

Scott Davis

Scott Davis

Scott Davis is a recent graduate of Oakland University where he earned a degree in journalism. He worked for the student newspaper on campus, The Oakland Post, where he became the paper's managing editor. He also earned a minor in Cinema Studies at OU. Scott enjoys all things film and TV related, especially the blockbuster kind. He might be the biggest Christopher Nolan fan you know.