Review of Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (2016) by Foxgrove — 21 Jul 2016

A belated spin off from the beloved TV series spawned in the early 90’s that ran out of steam long before the concluding series. This charmless and unfunny re-incarnation falls far short of the high standards initially set by the early TV instalments and doesn’t even reach the level of a low brow ‘Carry On’ film.

The story is almost non-existent and scenes with potential are not allowed to develop beyond a punchline or funny joke, most of which fail miserably anyhow. Slapstick is the order of the day and the results are pathetic.

Characters, like Bubble and Saffron, who were irritating anyway are just downright annoying here. Equally the positive roster of guest stars including Joan Collins, Christopher Biggins Barry Humphries and Lulu have all seen better parts and, indeed, better days.

Thank god for Joanna Lumley who even with such dismal material still manages to make meals out of less than witty throw aways. Sadly, though, even she has to keep the choke out to prevent her motor from stalling.

Ultimately, like the refrigerators discovered to be empty of champagne, this big screen misfire lacks any fizz.