Isla Fisher has ample opportunity to show off her comedic acting chops in the girls’ buddy comedy Spa Weekend. Realised in the spirit of Bad Moms and The Hangover, she plays Mel, the most outrageous of a foursome who became firm friends at middle school. Gifted some choice lines and visual gags, Fisher is all over them. She doesn’t disappoint with a hugely spirited performance.
So, to the plot: Life has gotten in the way of regular catch ups for the quartet. Arguably, the busiest of the lot is Jane (Leslie Mann), a lawyer and single mother, who can never seem to find time for herself. So it is that one of these mates, Coco (Michelle Buteau), suggests they celebrate her birthday on a pampered spa weekend in Palm Springs. Only they deliberately exclude the wild and unpredictable Mel.
Coco has been a total “badass” since she was a kid. She has separated from her husband, Roger (Dominic Ona-Ariki), who finds her too much. Much to Coco’s chagrin, Roger has taken up with another woman, who is older than Coco. Coco seems to be always angry with him, so much so that when they switch child caring duties, they have to do so in a public carpark.
Also off on the girls’ weekend is a personal assistant, the always conciliatory Sophie (Anna Faris), forever run off her feet by the exacting demands of her boss. Unbeknown to the others, at the last moment Sophie caves and invites Mel to join them at the retreat. But as soon she does, regret beckons, as Mel goes wild, ready to party big time.
Think “over the top” about everything. That includes calling in male strippers and stealing a golf cart and driving it through the resort at speed while being pursued by security. Then there is goat yoga (who knew that was a thing?) gone wrong. That is only the start of the list. It turns out to be quite the adventurous getaway.
Jane ignites passion with handsome yoga instructor Kai (Adam Demos). Coco does likewise in a mud bath for two with her estranged husband Roger, who happens to show up. And the affable Sophie is encouraged to say “no” to her by then former employer who calls her in desperation. It is only a matter of time before Mel’s antics get the ladies in trouble with resort head Shanti (Erika Heynatz). Jail beckons.
The association with the humour and hijinks in Bad Moms and The Hangover is obvious when you realise Jon Lucas and Scott Moore were responsible. The pair wrote The Hangover and wrote and directed Bad Moms. There is no doubt about the trajectory of the plotting in Spa Weekend, such that it is, but it is the journey to get there that counts.
In other words, there is a lot of the obvious in play here, but the filmmakers and the actors are determined to have fun with the material. So, they throw the veritable kitchen sink at it. Some of the material works better than in other instances, but there are certainly laughs to be had. It plays with over-the-top characterisations of anger, submissiveness, self-deprecation, compliance and so on. The movie is all about colour and movement.
Frankly, without Isla Fisher’s “nothing exceeds like excess” personality, there would be very little of interest. With her, it has moments of bite, in what is an obviously contrived, female skewed, comic outing. Rated M, Spa Weekend scores a 6½ out of 10.
Alex First
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Alex First is the editor of The Blurb. Alex is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He also contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.
