Movie Review: Afterlife of the Party isn't much of a party

Afterlife of the Party isn't my usual fare when I'm looking for a movie to watch. There was just something about it that caught my eye when I was browsing through Netflix's line-up of movies. It wasn't that I knew any of the actors really, although, I am somewhat familiar with Victoria Justice, but, after seeing the brief clip on Netflix, I thought I'd give it a try.

Let me just preface this by saying it's a cute movie with no language, sex, nudity, or vulgarity so this is wide open territory for young ones. It's a simplistic plot with pretty socialite, Cassie, geting drunk, falling, dying, and ending up in the afterlife. She has five days to set things right with some people she left behind or she won't ascend to the "Above."

And that's the first part I wasn't overly thrilled with. I know movies like this shouldn't be taken too seriously (and there was a lot of comedy), but the "Above" and "Below" portion of the afterlife was a little over the top for me. A young woman has passed on, and if she doesn't fix the lives of three people on her list within five days, she doesn't go to a happy afterlife.

We've certainly seen this type of "earning wings" before, but this just had a sense of urgency about it that I found off-putting, especially when one of the people Cassie is supposed to help or make amends with is the mother who left her years ago, a woman she hasn't spoken to in quite some time. And she's supposed to right that relationship in five days? And her temporary guardian angel, Val, can't do much to help her. On a side note, I did really like Val, who was played by Robyn Scott. She brought a unique sense of humor to the story with her dry one-liners and facial expressions.

Another person on Cassie's list is her best friend, Lisa. who is an archaeologist and into her work while Cassie was always a wild partier. Before Cassie died, she and Lisa had a huge fight. Now, a year after Cassie's death, Lisa is living a life that solely revolves around her work, even to the point of ignoring the handsome nextdoor neighbor who is totally into her. This is another situation Cassie needs to set to right.

Then there is Cassie's father who, for reasons not really fully explained, has a strained relationship with her. He's really into yoga, but after Cassie dies, he retreats to his sofa and stays there eating junk food and watching TV. Cassie to the rescue.

I really, really wanted to fall in love with this movie, but there were too many moments that made me wince. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it, and it wasn't just about the afterlife.

Afterlife of the Party created forced happily-ever-afters because Cassie has a timeline. It even had Cassie's mom and dad reaching an understanding and a bit of matchmaking for her father. On top of that, along with getting a boyfriend, Lisa gets a much-desired position that there was absolutely no way she could have gotten without her ghostly friend's assistance.

And Cassie's mother cries and talks about being too young to be a mother which is her reason for leaving her daughter behind. Cassie, of course, forgives her. In reality, that kind of trauma isn't resolved in less than five days.

All in all, Afterlife of the Party, is a cute, though mainly shallow, movie with some humor, stylish clothes, and a surprise ending that doesn't quite fit. I give it a C+.