Dying is easy. Comedy is hard. That quote ran through my mind while watching Senior Year, a comedy starring Rebel Wilson, who made us laugh in the Pitch Perfect movies. But in this new film, she has to make us believe she’s Stephanie, a woman in her thirties, who feels she must go back to high school and complete her senior year. .

After Stephanie convinces the principal (Mary Holland), who was her best friend when they were teens, the fun begins. She’s surprised to see all the technology gadgets and social media. But she hates the changes at the school and does her best to bring back what she lived for during her teen age life, especially the election of senior prom royalty. And she wants to revive the cheerleader squad.

Other changes disburb Stephanie. Her high school enemy (Zoe Chao) is now married to Stephanie’s boyfriend (Justin Hartley), and is also the PTA President.  To make matters worse, this couple’s beautiful daughter (Jade Bender) seems to run the school now.

Will the students accept Stephanie and her old-fashioned ideas or will Stephanie be the one who changes?   

A cheerleader drops hard on floor.

Coma results but there is more

It’s twenty years before she wakes.

How will she face some big mistakes?

Her mind is still on teenage stuff.

Adjusting to change can be rough.

She wants to relive senior year.

And become Prom Queen. Oh my dear!

Rebel Wilson sure gives her all.

Cheerleading, dancing and bad fall.

With lots of laughs and sad scenes too,

“Senior Year” tries to get to you.

But raunchy language fills the screen.   

Though many viewers think that’s keen,

it takes me out of story plot

and inner church lady cries “Rot!”

 Cheers, however, for friendship theme

and popularity big scheme.     

  Better true friends when things go wrong.

Didn’t we know that all along?    

A strong supporting cast backs up Wilson well. Chris Darnell plays her sympathetic dad. Mary Holland shines as the modern high school principal. Sam Richardson stands out as the school librarian who helps Stephanie any chance he gets. But I wanted to see Justin Hartley, the guy who plays her former boyfriend, in the. film more. Full Disclosure: I am an avid Hartley fan ever since he portrayed Adam in TV’s “Young and the Restless.”

Kudos also to the excellent actors playing the young version of these characters.      

Senior Year moves along at a fairly fast pace, and the versatile background music helps set the mood for each scene. But this is Rebel Wilson’s movie. Like Buster Keaton, she left me exhausted at the end of the show.    

(Released by Netflix and rated “R” by MPAA.)

Director: Alex Hardcastle

Writers: Andrew Knauer, Arthur Pielli, Brandon Scott Jones.