Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (2016)

Under the Influence of Poor Quality

Director: Mandie Fletcher

Running Time: 91 Minutes

Starring: Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, Julia Sawalha, June Whitfield, Jane Horrocks, Chris Colfer, Celia Imrie, Robert Webb,

Coming out of this picture, one wonders if it was an intentional move, by the director, to have the film mirror the lead characters. The reason for pondering on this thought is that, no matter the actress' attempts, the film and the characters both prove to be shallow, dull, and largely unfunny.

Edina (Jennifer Saunders) and Patsy (Joanna Lumley) are living the high life they're used to, complete with shopping and drinking. After accidentally knocking Kate Moss into the River Thames, the two hide out in the South of France.

Both Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley give it their all in their roles, but it's a struggle to hold an interest into the fates of these rather repellant characters. Granted, many films have proved successful in spite of their unlikeable leads, such as Young Adult and The Wolf of Wall Street. But where films like those have succeeded in holding viewers interests and delivering fascinating scenes, director Mandie Fletcher fails to garner much interest.

Instead, her focus appears to be on the wide spectrum of cameo appearances made in the film. Where else will one see Hollywood names, like Jon Hamm and Rebel Wilson, rounded up alongside past music stars, such as Lulu, LaRoux and Emma Bunton, fashion icons like Stella McCartney and Jean Paul Gaultier, and even the lesser known likes of Rylan Clarke-Neal and Nick Grimshaw. It's admittedly impressive to see the variety of appearances, but it doesn't distract from how half-hearted each one is, merely serving as a distraction from the rubbish material on-hand here.

In spite of its impressive assortment of cameos, Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie remains a considerably unpleasant experience. A more accurate name would be rather rude to write here, so let's stick with Absolutely Foolish.