Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie

Dir: Mandie Fletcher

2016

**

I wouldn't say I was a fan of Absolutely Fabulous but I appreciated it back in its heyday and I've seen one or two of the specials they've done for TV in recent years. Was I glad when they announced the movie? To be honest, I didn't give a hoot but sat down to it with an open mind. It was nice to see the cast reunited and within minutes Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, Julia Sawalha, Jane Horrocks and the great June Whitfield were on screen together and it was a wonderful thing. It all just went downhill somewhat when they started telling jokes. The script seems to rely heavily on familiarity, media pop words and lazy referencing, the ones that weren't were just old. The basis of the story is that Edina and Patsy have to go on the run after accidentally pushing world famous supermodel Kate Moss into the Thames during a party. That was well handled and well written, the film only really lets itself down in the details. The story treads old ground far too much, give the fans what they want and play the hits for sure but there really is no development from the early days of Ab Fab. I thought the bombardment of cameos (sixty in total) would be too much but actually I didn't mind it, it was quite fun playing spot the celebrity when they made blink and you'll miss it appearances. It was nice to see returning friends of the show also, but dame Joan Collins (who once bought me a drink by the way) and Dame Edna Everage steal the show when it comes to cameo. That said, Barry Humphries has a larger part in the film but part of the DVD extras has a brilliant interview with Dame Edna that is better in its five minutes than the whole film is in its ninety-one. It really is just an extended episode and in many respects that's exactly what it should be, my biggest issue though was that it is just so poorly written. The written comedy is awful, which is such a shame because the visual and physical comedy is brilliant - although the best stuff comes from the cameo performers. It all seems a bit half-hearted considering that the film has been mooted for such a long time and has become greatly anticipated by the fans. Jennifer Saunders said that she might consider doing more should the film do well but a month after its release she confirmed she was done with Absolutely Fabulous for good and that she wanted to concentrate on other things. It's clear that this was a project she felt she had to do, rather than one she was passionate about, it comes out in the finished article. I totally understand why Mandie Fletcher directed it, given that she directed the newer episodes and is familiar with the many of the cast but it really doesn't look anything special, with some of the scenes looking a little drab. The question is, is anyone really that surprised or disappointed at how it turned out, if not, then it makes you wonder why they even bothered.