Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (2016)

Fantastic!

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Did you people see the same film I saw?

A Masterpiece!

I have never seen the original television series, but I came across and found it interesting to try, only to realise in my watch that it was not what I thought of it. Yeah, definitely my disadvantage was that I didn't know the characters, the universe and all the basics. Those who loved the show might enjoy it better, since they know what to expect from it. I was like looking for a proper intro. The introduction of everything, as I'm not familiar with anything out of it. But it did not come, the story just went on and on from the opening itself. I was confused what's going on, who is who and et al.It took almost half of the film to be comfortable with the scenario of the tale. Once I was there, I thought it was funny in places, yet I did not feel like to have a laugh. Again, I blame myself for missing out the fun for not knowing them very well. It never occurred to me before. I have seen many films that proceeded by its television series which I haven't seen. It looked short and the pace was excellent, so I did not get bored, except not getting the overall film properly. Otherwise, I would have rated it better. I think the people like me should be careful while picking it. Other than that it is an okay film, not a bad film.5/10

I do remember liking this show very much in the nineties so I had great expectations for this movie but it turned out to be a disappointment. It's nothing compared to the series. I guess they are just too old now to play the characters from the series. It just didn't work. Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley play of course the same characters but the chemistry is just not there anymore. Plus the story-line isn't great either for a movie. The character of Bubble played by Jane Horrocks is just painful to watch. While in the past I was laughing with every episode I don't think I laughed once during the entire movie. And I'm pretty sure I still have the same sense of humor as in the past. Don't watch this movie, just stick to the series.

Honestly I wasn't expecting much but nothing prepared me for this. Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie is easily one of the worst films I have seen in my life. And for those who don't know me that is saying something since I am quite old and have seen a lot. I had hoped it would at least be on par with Zoolander 2 but sadly it's far worse. The biggest problem of the film is that it simply is not funny. Too many jokes that miss their mark even when I was trying to be as open and receptive as possible. I really tried hard to get into this film and let the silliness overwhelm me which was one of the strongest elements of the original show. However here the craziness is toned down considerably. Even the crudest jokes weren't of the same level as in the show. I get that the majority of the cast have gotten older and that perhaps they felt that they should act more their age although that would go directly against the premise of the show and defeating it's purpose. Whatever the reason or motivation it destroyed most of the fun. Then there are the cameos. I don't even know where to begin with those. None of them made an impact. Sure it's always nice to recognize famous faces but if you would have them left out you would not have missed them. Nothing remarkable has been done with these names and that is a big shame if you ask me. The acting was acceptable and for the most part Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders played out the characters as we know them. Little less energetic and kinetic maybe but that is understandable they have gotten older of course. Although it has to be said that Joanna Lumley still looks great. I wished the same could be said about Saunders. She messed up her face so much with I presume botox that it looked like she had some mask on or something similar. Very weird and super distracting. Absolutely Fabulous the show was witty and sharp. This movie is the opposite. It's a total waste of time and I can't think of a single excuse to warrant a view. So don't. AVOID!

A movie produced on the same material 25 years after the heyday of a television show will take a toll on quality. At the time, the Dawn French / Joana Lumley show traded on its subversive material and outrageous performances. Since then the world has moved dramatically toward the outpost the two established for themselves putting the show's aesthetic somewhere in the middle of the culture. So relying on the same shock value jokes from the early 90's results in the film's now mildly eye-raising but still mostly funny lines. All of the standbys from the original appear: Eddie gives her daughter poor parenting advice, her daughter lectures her to be more conservative, Lumley pulls out her "Pat Stone" routine at one point, she blacks out, etc., etc., etc. Vintage stuff if a little worn. The softness of the script benefits from a very long list of cameos although American audiences will miss many of the local British faces who didn't quite become global names. In short, like "Zoolander 2", AbFab the movie relies more on nostalgia than good writing but for hardcore fans that may be enough.