Review of Ibiza (2018) by Chris D — 28 May 2018

If you asked a bunch of thirty-somethings what they would dream about doing with their friends, more likely than not they would respond somewhere along the lines of traveling around the world with them. Luckily, for a worn-out, workaholic named Harper (played by Gillian Jacobs), she is given that surreal opportunity- well, not exactly. In the Netflix Original movie "Ibiza", Jacobs's character is sent to Barcelona by her PR firm to land a deal with potential clients. What initially sounds like a casual, business-centered work trip, quickly turns into a spontaneous, EDM-filled vacation when Harper's friends, Nikki (Vanessa Bayer)and Leah (Phoebe Robinson), convince her to let them stay in her hotel room. That way, all three of them can enjoy a vacation in Europe together, and hang out during Harper's free-time.

Their plan to party and relax in Barcelona goes according to plan, until Harper encounters a famous DJ called Leo West, played by "Game of Throne"'s Richard Madden, at a club. After only a minute long interaction, Harper becomes infatuated by the Scottish-speaking DJ who is about to perform his set on stage. Despite calling and searching afterwards for him throughout the night, Harper and her friends never find Leo. This momentary defeat does not veer Harper's two personal hype women from encouraging her to try again. The morning after, a hungover Nikki and Leah find out Leo's next gig is on the Spanish island of Ibiza that night. Convincing her to meet-up with him again, the two friends take Harper to Ibiza for another shot at being able to spend the night with the famous DJ. The only issue that could stand in her way: she has a meeting with her clients back in Barcelona the very next morning.

While I won't go into too much detail about the night in Ibiza, it is difficult not to mention the portrayal of the island in the movie. From all the side characters they meet in Europe, the ones that lift an eye come mostly from their second adventure in Ibiza. The two natives that they meet there, a creepy taxi driver and his adrenaline-junkie niece, make it seem as if the island is dangerous and only good for having a wild night. Even a few provincial views are insinuated by some of the cast about how the island in Spain is laid-back- a stigma that I would presume would frustrate the locals of Ibiza.

Despite the sometimes tourist perspective throughout the film, newcomer director Alex Richanbach proves he has potential. Even with an overdone script- where the protagonist is determined to find their crush after a quick meet-cute the night before- writer Laura Kahn proves that a female-centered cast is what could make this movie somewhat standout from the usual setup. And she wasn't wrong.

Two of the actors that particularly stood out in the movie come from none other than comedy veterans Gillian Jacobs and "Saturday Night Live" alum Vanessa Bayer. Jacobs convincingly plays the main role of an overworked Harper; and despite it being dangerously close to coming of as a cliche character in the movie, she is self-aware of it- even at one point fully acknowledging her overdone action of standing up through the sunroof of a limo. And as for Bayer, the majority of the laughs come from her awkwardly-confident, oddball disposition. Even though she so desperately flexs off her array of impersonations throughout the entire film, it's challenging not to chuckle every time her character nails one. Including Phoebe Robinson as Leah, the three female leads' bond reinstates the importance that the movie is more about friendship and "living in the moment" (as the phrase often goes), than sleeping with a DJ in Ibiza. Or at least that's what I hope they were going for.