In the noughties, two screenwriters Jon Lucas and Scott Moore got together who really shook up the comedy genre: after a few rather mediocre comedies, they had their big breakthrough in 2009 with the script for the surprising comedy megahit “Hangover”. They were no longer on board for the sequels, but they were no longer only responsible for the script for their hit film “Bad Moms”, but also directly for directing. Similar to “The Hangover,” Lucas and Moore also relied on a trio in “Bad Moms” that plunged into chaos together with relish (if not quite as uninhibited).
In this case, it was three mothers who ignored the constant demands of their children, husbands and all the seemingly perfect all-rounders and indulged in excessive relaxation together. What sounds flat actually had charm and wit thanks to the cast of Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn, as Christoph Petersen also found in his FILMSTARTS review of “Bad Moms”: “Rough and cheeky, warm-hearted and likeable – ‘Bad Moms’ brings these apparent opposites together wonderfully.” It almost seemed as if Lucas and Moore had perfected the recipe for light yet empowering comedies for a female audience. But with their latest prank “Spa Weekend” the plan unfortunately doesn’t work.
At the latest with goat yoga there is a scandal!
Three stressed, middle-aged friends are again in the foreground here, each of them, like a woodcut, with their own set of worries: Jane (Leslie Mann) is a successful lawyer, but as a single mother she hardly finds time to build a love life. Coco (Michelle Buteau) thought she had found true love in her ex-husband Roger (Dominic Ona-Ariki), until he left her for another woman – and a much older one for a change. Meanwhile, Sophie’s (Anna Faris) life is overshadowed by her tyrannical boss, who despairs when she doesn’t provide his usual lunch choices. Despite their busy schedules, the three decide to celebrate Jane’s upcoming birthday with a weekend together at a luxurious spa in Palm Springs.
Since Jane, Coco and Sophie all move through their stuck lives in a sensible and responsible manner despite some whimsy, the author duo has provided a fourth character as a plot-driving factor: with a broad Aussie accent, in bright clothes and always in the mood for a (gentleman’s) joke, Mel (Isla Fisher) also trudges into the spa to join her three childhood friends despite not being invited. From then on, almost all the gags in “Spa Weekend” revolve around how Mel, with her vulgar manner, sabotages everything from crystal meditation to goat yoga, upsets the spa owner and tries to solve the three friends’ dissatisfaction with life using rabid means…
Gags without space, humor or heart
Unfortunately, as much as Isla Fisher (“Now You See Me”) struggles in the role of chaos queen, almost none of these gags work. This is ensured by overly hectic editing throughout the entire 97 minutes, which doesn’t allow even the smallest dialogue joke between the four otherwise comically gifted actresses room to develop. In addition to the repeatedly missed comedic timing, every slapstick situation in “Spa Weekend” is accompanied by an overly intrusive score that is intended to give the comedy momentum.
Things get particularly annoying with “Spa Weekend” when it comes to the film’s lack of an emotional core. As with “Bad Moms”, the topic of female overload due to care work is touched upon here and there, but is soon dropped in favor of sometimes questionable messages, for example about female friendships: at one point it is said that every women’s clique needs that one chaotic person who no one really likes (?!), but who at least stirs up the deadlocked existence of the other friends.
Despite the fluffy bathrobes, relaxation is unfortunately out of the question during this particularly chaotic spa weekend.
“Bride Alarm” demonstrated in 2011 that there is another way and that a female buddy comedy can indulge in silliness uninhibitedly and still deal with the nature and depth of female friendships in all situations. But “Spa Weekend” is unfortunately far from the emotional sincerity that characterized the script and character design by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo back then.
Conclusion: Despite the comically talented cast, the gags in “Spa Weekend” rarely work and the hectic production can hardly distract from the missing heart of this supposed female buddy comedy.