Ever wondered what happens after you die? “Afterlife of the Party” puts a fun twist on life after death. Starring Victoria Justice, “Afterlife of the Party” takes the audience on the journey Cassie (Victoria Justice) endures after she passes away in a freak accident. To avoid Hell, Cassie must right her wrongs on earth, even the ones she’s scared to confront.
Cassie is a party girl always on the go. As an event planner, she’s come to love the life of social activity and always wants to spend her time surrounded by friends. After things get a little out of hand one night, Cassie passes away, only to find herself in the hands of a guardian angel, Val (Robyn Scott). Val leads Cassie through all the steps she must complete in order to be granted afterlife in heaven. The first, fixing her friendship with her best friend Lisa (Midori Francis). However, her relationship with Lisa isn’t the only rocky one. Cassie must find peace with Sophia (Gloria Garcia), her mother who abandoned her at a young age. The last person on her list is her beloved father (Adam Garcia), who she loves dearly.
I had high hopes for “Afterlife of the Party,” however it did not fully meet my expectations. While I do enjoy the concept, I didn’t feel a deep emotional connection to the story until the last 20 minutes. The audience witnessed Cassie go through the ‘healing process,’ yet it was done in a cute, sometimes superficial manner. If you’re someone who enjoys deep topics, with a more lighthearted twist, then I can see you enjoying this movie. Personally, I wish it had a little more depth to it throughout the entirety of the movie, not just the last portion.
I may be overthinking the logistics of the plot, but I also found some parts to be slightly unrealistic. For example, there’s a moment in the movie where Cassie places flyers around her father’s house. While I see the intent behind this scene, I found it to be a cliché and implausible. These moments happened frequently throughout the movie, which made it difficult to truly connect and believe the story.
On the contrary, I did enjoy how they wove deeper topics into the plot, even though they were touched on for short amounts of time. For example, many people go through abandonment issues with their parents, so seeing Cassie connect with her mother could be a point that touches home for many. The same goes for the feeling of loss her father felt after his daughter passed. Many parents lose themselves after such a terrible loss, which made his emotions much more realistic and understandable.
Overall, I would recommend “Afterlife of the Party” if you’re into that kind of genre. If you’re looking for something very emotional that will have you crying the whole time, then this movie may not be the one. Rather, I would recommend it to the people who are looking for a cheerful twist on a very sad topic… or simply if you’re a Victoria Justice fan!
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
