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Comedian Melissa McCarthy and her director/co-writer husband, Ben Falcone, have produced another vehicle for her exceptional talents as a character-based comedic star. McCarthy and Falcone’s previous efforts together — “Tammy” and “The Boss” — underwhelmed, which may explain why “Life of the Party” finds them aiming straight for the lowest common denominator and, sadly, hitting the bull’s eye.

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CalMatters is a Sacramento-based nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism venture committed to explaining how California's state Capitol works and why it matters. It works with more than 130 media partners throughout the state that have long, deep relationships with their local audiences, including Embarcadero Media.