[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]Plot: Edina accidentally knocks Kate Moss into the River Thames and everyone thinks she’s dead. Thus, Edina and Patsy set off on another adventure, wrecking havoc and stirring up trouble everywhere they go.
Review: Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie is a delight, honoring fans of the show in all the right places. Jennifer Saunders (Edina), who also wrote the screenplay, and Joanna Lumley (Patsy) haven’t missed a beat and it is clear these two were simply born to play these roles. After all these years, Saunders and Lumley have wonderfully, and naturally, returned to these beloved characters as if no time has passed.
Of course, in real life, time has flown by, and the film humorously addresses the theme of aging, as the show always did. There is a great sequence where Edina and Patsy find themselves at Mother‘s party where the average age of the guests is probably 90. Edina and Patsy revel in how youthful they are in comparison, only to realize they are the oldest ones by far at the next party they go to, and are made fun of because of it.
Speaking of Mother, seeing June Whitfield return to this role, really, is special treat. She was always an unexpected grounding force in the show. Edina has always been desperate not to follow in Mother’s footsteps, and ironically, her own daughter, Saffy, follows suit.
Fans of the show will rejoice in the return of several supporting cast members, such as Bubble, Bo and Marshall, Claudia Bing, and many others, along with some hilarious celebrity appearances as well. There is enough fun and humor inherent in this film to keep the attention of those in the audience unfamiliar with the show. Certainly, though, this was made with great respect to the fans.
Saffy, of course, is also back, and like Saunders and Lumley, Julia Sawalha effortlessly returns to her role. With a mother like Edina, you’re damned if you do, you’re damned if you don’t, and raising a daughter who emulates the very person she has desperately tried not to herself, can’t be easy.
Whether intentional or not, Saffy seems to have mellowed a bit over the years. She has found a stable boyfriend who clearly loves her. She doesn’t try to control her daughter. She is hard on herself when she misses genuine parenting moments, but her intentions are always there. Saffy is a good person.
Edina and Patsy, on the other hand, just can’t help themselves. This is their world we are living in. They are never malicious to others. They are simply so self-absorbed that the Earth and its inhabitants have no choice but to be pawns at their disposal. If you are their valet, they aren’t going to be condescending. In fact, they would likely tip you very well.
This is why we can’t help but love these women. As much as they may bring chaos to others, karma always returns the favor in a never-ending quest to try to teach them life lessons that can help them evolve. Of course, they never learn, even after all these years.
If anything, the best part of this film is in its respectful homage to these beloved characters.
Since there has been a passage of time since we last saw them on screen, Saunders could have written a script that has Edina and Patsy in different places. Perhaps it could have been a story about re-finding their friendship. Perhaps Edina had straightened out and transformed into Saffy and the story would have been about Patsy reminding her friend about the good ol’ days to return her to form.
We’ve seen this kind of treatment in other films when many years have gone by in between installments. It never seems to work because the characters end up not being the ones we fell in love with to begin with.
In Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, however, Saunders doesn’t try too hard to “explain away” everything. Instead, she plops us right smack in the middle of another adventure in the lives of these two crazy ladies. It doesn’t matter that they are older. It’s the same Edina and Patsy. They haven’t changed. They’ll never change.
There also isn’t a sense of “finality” at the end of this film either. This isn’t necessarily their swan song. This isn’t the two riding off into the sunset, or saying their goodbyes.
In our practical world, the business of filmmaking suggests a sequel perhaps may never come.
In the world of Edina and Patsy, however, their lives are just getting started.
Cheers to that, Sweetie Darlings.
Grade: A-
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