Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie

Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie

Like Paul Rudd’s character in “This is 40” eating a cupcake over the kitchen sink, anyone who has seen “Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie” will recognize what it feels like during its 90 minutes. It’s more satisfying than food for the soul, but the self-indulgence if not the momentary escape is worth every second.

The heart of BBC’s “Absolutely Fabulous” franchise is the relationship between two middle aged women, Edina and Patsy, whose ride or die loyalty is now a fitting addition to a summer lineup that includes “Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates” and “Ghostbusters.” Besides providing us with loud fashion choices, chain smoking and partying, the series and now this movie is an ode to friendship.

Saunders and Lumley have a chemistry that’s hard to resist with their satirical but lovable characters, taking us along for their shenanigans that involve crashing a runway show or accidentally knocking Kate Moss into the River Thames.

It’s best not to give away too much about what happens after Moss’ disappearance in “Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie,” but know that there are cameos (from Emma Bunton to a well received Joan Collins) at almost every turn. It’s also a focused crowd pleaser that loves you back, even if its comedy is more consistently cute than laugh out loud funny. Director Mandie Fletcher’s film looks like a studio comedy complete with some lazy editing goofs but it has energy.

One of TV’s better transitions into feature-length form shows efficiency for fans and non-fans alike. Those who loved nicknamed “Ab Fab” will see an even brighter version of their beloved despicable characters on this platform, freed from laugh tracks and stationary camerawork. But newcomers can also enjoy another kind of arrested development feature comedy while only sharing Apatow or Adam McKay values, with more ridiculousness and dark character consequences.

Either camp will get a biting satire of selfishness, and while brash with its un PC attitude, the film is defined by being a sweetheart. The feature length version of these characters helps to beef up emotional moments, especially between Edina and her diametrically opposite in style and crazy daughter Saffy (Julia Sawalha).

In an effective gear shift later in the film, Saunders (as writer and Edina) has a genuine heart to heart that deconstructs her character’s desperate vanity; it’s expressing the insecurities that we emotionally connect to first before we laugh along with her.

Whether it’s making fun of the fashion industry’s shallowness or veering into an inverted riff on “Some Like It Hot,” you can’t say this romp doesn’t go for it. The “it” may not always be as funny as the series was at its best, but sometimes just a few big laughs in a darkened theater carry extra weight nowadays.

Watch Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie For Free On Gomovies.