Afterlife of the Party

Did You Know?

• Principal photography took place in Cape Town, South Africa from October 21 to December 6, 2020.
• A soundtrack EP was released on the film's premiere day by Spencer Sutherland, Victoria Justice, and composer Jessica Rose Weiss.
• The film was announced in October 2020 with Victoria Justice and Midori Francis attached to star.

Plot

Cassie and Lisa have been best friends since first grade. As adults, Cassie is a fun-loving party planner while Lisa lives a secluded life as an archeologist. Cassie convinces Lisa to go out for her 25th birthday week, and before leaving they meet Max, a neighbor who shares Lisa's quiet lifestyle. At a club, the friends argue when Cassie's acquaintances want to move to other parties; Lisa points out their friendship has changed and that Cassie pretends to be someone else.

They part ways, and later Cassie passes out at home. She wakes up hungover, trips in the bathroom, hits her head on the toilet, and dies. Cassie awakens in a room where Val, an angel handler, explains she has been dead for over a year. Before reaching the Afterlife party in Heaven, Cassie must help three people as a guardian angel: her best friend Lisa, her father Howie, and her mother Sofia.

She has five days to figure out how to help each, or she goes to the below. They cannot see or hear her. Cassie shadows Lisa, who is friends with bakery owner Emme. Cassie follows Lisa until Lisa lets her in.

While doing a puzzle, Cassie meddles by getting Max to invite Lisa to a Koop music video shoot. The date goes well, and Lisa and Max admit their feelings and kiss.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 56% approval rating based on 18 reviews, with an average rating of 5/10. Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com gave it 1.5/4 stars, stating the film strives for both wild physical humor and heart-tugging poignancy but achieves neither, occupying an uncomfortable middle ground. She noted that Midori Francis's authenticity makes one wish she were at the film's center instead of on the sidelines, and concluded that Victoria Justice can only do so much with less-than-heavenly material.

Jennifer Green of Common Sense Media scored it 3/5 stars, writing that the central idea is quite sad yet the first half plays it as straight comedy, though the second half allows characters to feel something, with a noticeable tonal disconnect. Tatat Bunnag of the Bangkok Post described the film as a formulaic fantasy rom-com that does what has been done before, packed for millennials and Gen Z, but handled the drama and heartwarming elements fairly well despite being predictable.