Take Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, the writers of hit ensemble comedies such as The Hangover and Bad Moms, and add four fabulously funny and likeable comedic actresses in the form of Isla Fisher, Leslie Mann, Anna Faris, and Michelle Buteau and you should have all the ingredients for a hit movie. Sadly, the end result is more hit and miss, as the male gaze is very evident in this apparent chick flick, leaving a film unsure whether it wants to be a raunchy girls’ weekend comedy or a heartfelt exploration of female friendship.
Spa Weekend sees four lifelong friends head off for a weekend getaway at a luxury spa. Jane (Mann) is celebrating her birthday, joined by her ride or dies Coco (Buteau) and Sophie (Faris). While they deliberately exclude Mel (Fisher), the friend they “don’t really like”, who is capable of making a car crash look like a stroll in the park with her antics, but she shows up anyway. The weekend quickly descends into farce as her often infantile and always outrageous behaviour compromises her friends and forces them to confront their own issues.
This leads to some of the filmmakers’ trademark “wacky” set pieces, including a not-so-high-speed chase in a stolen golf cart and a bawdy brawl in the middle of the luxurious lobby. Of course, because these women have lives and “depth”, we also get the obligatory moments of introspection and reflection.
Stepping away from their everyday lives allows them to reassess where they are going – although spa manager Shanti (Erika Heynatz) would clearly rather they sorted themselves out anywhere other than her establishment.
This is the kind of movie that is likely to generate very mixed reviews. At 97 minutes it certainly doesn’t outstay its welcome, but the brevity of the running time means everything gets wrapped up far too neatly and predictably, with several plot holes thrown in for good measure.
There is plenty going for it. The four leads are all fabulous comic actresses, and Fisher, in particular, really throws herself into the role of the outrageous, over-the-top Mel. But they deserved better material than this, with Lucas and Moore too often reducing their comedic moments to the most puerile situation possible – think strippers and dildos – when it feels completely unnecessary.
The result is some uncomfortable giggles interspersed with the more raucous laughs – although there are fewer of those than you might expect.
The filmmakers are also determined to show that these women have emotional depth, but the reflective moments only serve to make for a rather uneven watch and often reduce them to stereotypes. The comedy and the more introspective moments never quite gel.
Overall, this is harmless and mostly enjoyable fun, ideal for a girls’ night when you just want to switch off. In fact, the man sitting beside me at the screening I attended announced, “I don’t think I am the target audience for this.” And that, in many ways, is part of the problem. This isn’t really a date-night flick and if half the potential audience feels alienated by the movie, that is inevitably going to affect bums on seats.
I love seeing female-led movies and this has a very strong cast. But perhaps female filmmakers and writers should be entrusted with these sorts of films.
Spa Weekend is in cinemas from August 21.
