Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie

Several years on from when we last saw Patsy and Eddy, Patsy is still in her fashion critic role but Eddie's fortunes have waned. Her list of PR clients is limited and low-key and her memoirs are not going to get published. While attempting to gain Kate Moss as a client, Eddie accidentally pushes her into the River Thames. Moss does not reappear and Eddie becomes a murder suspect, and Public Enemy Number 1. To escape the publicity Eddie and Patsy head for Nice.

Being a fan of the TV series I did not have great expectations for this movie. TV-to-movie conversions seldom work and in this case the TV series finished four years previously and was pretty much done long before that.

In the end, I was right about the conversion aspect - there's not enough material to sustain a feature film and the movie is festooned with silly scenes to pad out the time. The characters haven't aged well, and Joanna Lumley's script has not really adapted to their aging, seeming to still be based in the 90s in terms of character traits. Saffy / Julia Sawalha and Bubble / Jane Horrocks are particularly hard done by in this regard.

This said, its not all bad. There is a great swipe at the pretentiousness of the fashion industry and the superficiality of the media. There are also a few very funny moments. While the main characters feel like they're misplaced in time, and are living off old glories, some of the secondary characters make up for this. Kathy Burke as Magda is particularly entertaining.

Ultimately quite uneven with just enough good bits to make it likable.

It started very slowly, and at first I was really worried that this was nothing but a cash grab...after they "killed" Kate Moss, though, it really took off! In lieu of a "review", I've got bullet points:

*Stella McCartney was totally hilarious, but only if you know your Beatles

*It saddens me to say, but the least funny person in this film is...BUBBLE??? Let me put it this way - in "AF:tM", she is the equivalent of Jack Black in "Tropic Thunder"

*Saffy's tirade is hysterically funny...but only if you watched the series

*I recognized Barry Humphries in his 2 seconds as Dame Edna, but NOT as Charles...I didn't realize it until the credits

*I LOVED the homage to "Some Like it Hot"!!

I'm from someone who is a massive fan of the TV series, the film didn't disappoint. No it's not particularly original, nor is it the best comedy Saunders herself has written, but this film is so feel good you can't help but grin, giggle and laugh-out-loud throughout.

The film is brisk and whips by very quickly. Though the story is often disjointed, it's not where the film goes it's what happens while you're there. Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders are just a joy to watch and there's a ton of fan service as practically everyone who has ever been in the show makes an appearance here.

I came out of the cinema grinning ear to ear, which oddly not all comedies manage to do. It was like going for meal with an old friend that always makes you laugh.

If you weren't a fan of the show steer well clear - this is not a film for you. To those that did enjoy the show it's a must see. No it's not going to win any awards (though Joanna Lumley is such a terrific comedy actress), nor is it going to challenge the convention of comedy, but it is going to make you happy. Isn't that comedy was created for?

Absolutely Fabulous Sweetie Darling!

As a huge fan of Ab Fab I was looking forward to this a lot. What's more, I wasn't worried about the quality of the writing, as the special Olympic episodes merely a few years ago stood up to the original shows quality. I wouldn't say my expectations were particularly high nonetheless, I didn't expect anything groundbreaking, merely something in the range of The Last Stand or Gay. Alas, the film doesn't quite live up to any of that.

Overall, it ends up just being a homage to the original series. The majority of the screen time is stuffed with "LOOK! CELEBRITY CAMEO! YEAH WE GOT THEM!" or "HEY REMEMBER THAT ONE JOKE FROM THAT ONE EPISODE? HERES A REFERENCE TO THAT!" I came out of the theatre disappointed and just craving to go home and re-watch the original show.

Honestly, I think a huge part of it's weakness is it totally drops the strengths of the original series. Some of the original series funniest moments were it's overly dramatic monologues, laden with smart insults and often traded between Patsy/Saffy or Edina/Saffy. There isn't really any of that here.

If you are a huge fan like myself, I'd still recommend seeing it. I think, like me, you may end up disappointed, unless you are such a die hard fan you are blinded by the weaker writing quality, but it's still worth a watch to judge for yourself, and the film still has a couple moments worth seeing. It's not very long either, or at least doesn't feel too long, so at least you won't feel like you've wasted your time.

Either way, it's obvious this film is largely the result of a bet between Saunders and Dawn French. It lacks the soul of the original series, and while it isn't awful, it's just not good either.

This film is lighthearted, funny and crazy from beginning to end. If you were a fan of the TV show, I think you're more likely to enjoy it because you would understand the silliness and not expect it to be amazing. This film shows the return of Patsy, Edina and Saffy, along with some new characters and many celebrity cameos.

One of the new characters we see in the film is Edina's granddaughter; Lola. Lola appears frequently throughout but fails to engage the audience. The character is weak and I think shouldn't appear as often as she does in the film.

From the very beginning of this film we notice there are many celebrity cameos in this film, 60 in total. Many of these celebrities only appear for a minute each, but some of them are not needed at all as they only say a word or two. Despite this, many of the other celebrity appearances are very amusing and bring a smile to our faces. For example, Rebel Wilson, Lulu etc.

Overall, this film is crazy, amusing and doesn't fail to make you smile. It is definitely aimed at people who were fans of the TV show, as it brings a sense of nostalgia and reuses some of the classic jokes used in the show. The story line is bonkers, but that's what we expect from Patsy and Edina. Some characters definitely shouldn't have been included as they don't add anything to the film and appear to be used to fill time. If you weren't a fan of the show, I'd give this one a miss.