Picture Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures
I’ll admit I have never actually seen an episode of Absolutely Fabulous and the most I had actually seen of the show was a meme starring one of the main characters. Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie is based on the hit TV series written by Jennifer Saunders. Saunders stars as the main character, Edina Monsoon, who plays an aging woman who refuses to have any responsibilities. She loves fashion, drinking champagne and taking recreational drugs with her best friend Patsy Stone (Joanna Lumley).
The amount of celebrity attention was what really drew me to the film. Apparently the show had been such a hit that many celebs were excited to join the cast. After watching the film, although it had some really big names and familiar faces, I must admit it didn’t seem as star studded as I expected. Really the main driving force behind my decision to see the film was Emma Bunton (Baby Spice), no surprise there.
Edina runs her own PR agency, but her business and her funds are running low. When she gets wind that Kate Moss is looking for a new PR she sees this as her last chance to save her business and keep the party going. When trying to make an impression and an entrance, Edina accidentally knocks Kate off a balcony where she falls into the Thames. After hours turn into days, the search for Kate looks more and more bleak and her fans are furious with Edina. In order to protect herself, Edina must find out what happened to Kate in order to clear her name before it is too late.
The movie plays out in a flash of random silly events. Many of the characters are from the TV series which makes it great fun for fans of the show. For those of us who haven’t seen the show, we can relish in things like seeing Emma Bunton and other familiar faces from the Spice World film that happen to make appearances in Absolutely Fabulous.
Nothing really thrilling actually happens in the movie and it has a resounding similarity to watching a tv show. The film goes by quick enough for it to seem as though you had just caught a quick episode on the telly only with an obviously larger budget and better cameras.
I would love to hear what fans of the show have to say about the movie. I imagine that it gives them that nice nostalgic feeling with the treat of an encore episode to the series. Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie had that background feel of some TV shows where you can pay attention or allow your attention to wander while still remaining in the loop and enjoying the show. I would consider watching some of the original series, but I don’t imagine it would turn into any sort of binge marathoning event.
Obviously made for the fans, but also fans of British humour and TV would be able to appreciate this quick little venture.
Chris Knox 