I vaguely recall having a good time during my earlier years as I sat through episodes of Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley’s hit BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous. This memory and the new film’s fun trailer are reasons enough to tune into the Mandie Fletcher directed comedy  Absolutely Fabulous – The Movie.

Starring Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, Kate Moss and many more, it became clear quite quickly as I watched  that as is the case with most sitcom turned movie productions, things tended not to move along as quickly as one would have liked.

Along with the pacing problem, I found a few elements of the story just a tad too ridiculous. At first I thought It may be that too much time has passed since I watched the sitcom and I’ve therefore forgotten just how ‘ridiculous – in a good way’ it was. However, upon reflection, my accusation of ridiculousness isn’t really about how the two leads conduct themselves, but rather how far they seem to be able get even though the authorities are supposedly in pursuit, post the Kate Moss incident. 

Though there are some amusing moments, I’d say that Absolutely Fabulous – The Movie is more likely to be adored by those who really liked the sitcom. As for me who just vaguely recalls liking it, the trailer will remain the best part.

I particularly enjoyed the delightfully unexpected madness of what happens to Kate Moss and the perfectly timed comic scream / fainting of one of Moss’s biggest fans.

Give it a chance if you’re curious.

Happy Film Loving

G