ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS: THE MOVIE – Review

ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS: THE MOVIE reunites fashionista-wannabee gal pals Edina Monsoon (Jennifer Saunders) and Patsy Stone (Joanna Lumley) from the 1990s hit British TV comedy for more of their hard partying, party-crashing, champagne-swilling inappropriate shenanigans.

First off: if you are not already a fan steeped in the old British TV show Absolutely Fabulous but think ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS: THE MOVIE might give you a taste of what all the fuss was about, forget it – this film is not for you. ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS: THE MOVIE is strictly for fans, and unlike some movie adaptions, it does not give the uninitiated even much thought. It is possible to watch the whole film with nary a chuckle, having the nagging feeling there are plenty of in-jokes there soaring over your head. You would be right.

If you are a committed Ab Fab fan, the movie version may well be hilarious. At the promotional screening, there were a few laughs throughout the audience, but one group laughed throughout and applauded heartily at the end. That should be your guide in deciding if you want to spend your money on this movie: already a fan or not?

But many people, critics included, think a film should stand on its own merits, and  ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS: THE MOVIE really does not do that. The story revolves around two long-time friends, Edina (Saunders), a chubby, overdressed, middle-aged woman in public relations business and Patsy (Lumley), a still-trim, hard-drinking blonde fashionista who appears to have aged-out of her fashion model persona.

Edina is hoping to revive her struggling public relations business. What Edina’s pal Patsy does beside drink and drug isn’t clear. The two of them seem to be holding on to a champagne lifestyle even though they can no longer afford the champagne.

Edina lives in a posh house with her elderly jet-set mother (June Whitfield) but she has run short of cash, which is the prompt for the film’s adventure. Edina is on the hunt for new clients, with the dubious aid of her weirdly-dressed assistant Bubble (Jane Horrocks). Into this bit of chaos comes Edina’s pretty 13-year-old biracial granddaughter Lola (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) and her disapproving daughter Saffy (Julia Sawalha), whose clothes indicate she didn’t get the fashionista gene.

Pop culture references ensue, along with a bunch of stereotypical gay fashion-world types, and cameos by ’60s British pop singer Lulu, Jackie Collins, female impersonator Dame Edna and Gwendoline Christie, who plays Brienne of Tarth in GAME OF THRONES. Christie looks much more attractive and glamorous in this film than in GAME OF THRONES – making the role a pretty good decision on the part of her agent.

This story is pretty thin, and this two characters bumble and stumble through a series of jokes about media’s obsession with celebrity, the character’s obsession with youth and the life of luxury. Lumley’s character seems set on drinking anything, including Chanel perfume, and she does a weirdly creepy bit with young Donaldson-Holness, stroking the teenager’s young skin like a vampire savoring her prey. Apart from a running joke about media’s penchant for round-the-clock coverage of celebrity news (or even non-news) to the exclusion of any real news, and a clever little “Some Like It Hot” reference, there just is not much here for the non-insider.

Whether you want to bother with ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS: THE MOVIE or not, will probably depend on how much you miss the characters from the old TV show. If you are not already a devotee, this Ab Fab is not so fabulous.

ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS: THE MOVIE opens everywhere Friday, July 22nd

RATING: 1 OUT OF 5 STARS