Review of Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (2016) by Karla P — 14 Jul 2016

It's nearly 25 years ago that Eddy (Jennifer Saunders) and Patsy (Joanna Lumley), first tottered onto our TV screens living the high life in the absurd, fashion industry satire. Now they're back with a sitcom to film adaptation.

The film's well publicised plot about Kate Moss going missing is just a clothes hanger upon which to hang the comic routines, that are exactly the stuff have you had in the TV series.

It's packed with celebrity cameos from fashion and TV including legends such as Joan Collins and Jerry Hall, designers Jean Paul Gaultier and Stella McCartney, Hollywood's Jon Hamm and Aussie actress Rebel Wilson, and chat show host Graham Norton, to name a few.

The film feels in need of a nip and tuck. It really should have been a TV special. It works best when Eddy and Patsy go on the run to the French Riviera and it's a fun in the sun Ab Fab caper.

While it's fun to see Saunders back in Monsoon, Lumley is quite magnificent as Patsy. Of the familiar faces from the series to reprise their roles, Jane Horrocks as brainless assistant Bubble and Kathy Burke as fast talking, power lunching magazine editor Magda, are both brilliant.

This feature length encore is no a disaster. Eddy and Patsy are still a blast but too many tired jokes and celebrity cameos stretch out an extended episode into a film.