Infused with champagne, cigarettes, red lipstick, glitz, glamour, drag queens, bad shoes and Joan Collins, Fox Searchlight Pictures in Association with BBC Films have come up with the movie of the summer, along with the masterminds and brilliant talent of shining stars, Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley.
Although I missed the original series, seeing the movie made me wish I hadn’t. I quickly fell in love with the characters of Edina Monsoon, (Saunders) and Patsy Stone (Lumley) as they ran around London, drinking, smoking, shopping and living a simply dazzling life. That is until Edina accidentally kills fashion supermodel Kate Moss! When the entire world turns against her, the two loyal lifelong friends escape the devastation and police and celebrate a hilarious adventure, destined to make film history.
The movie contains every facet of the gay world, including, screaming Marys, transgender aspects, light cross-dressing and a scene in a drag bar that would make RuPaul think he died and went to heaven. The most beautiful, strange, unique and outlandishly creative queens gathered in the scene included Le Voux, a favorite queen that I recently interviewed. There were also cameos by Joan Collins and designer Jean Paul Gaultier.
Abs Fabs was written brilliantly by Saunders, and also starred Julia Sawalha, Jane Horrocks, June Whitfield, Chris Colfer, Kate Miss, Lulu, Emma Bunton, Robert Webb, Barry Humphries and Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness.
My favorite scene, which I’m still laughing out loud about each time I go over it in my mind, takes place on a welfare airline. Without giving it away, play close attention to the bathroom reference.
This movie is an essential must see. It certainly will take its place in pop culture history. In a recent interview with Saunders and Lumley, the girls described their characters by saying, “The characters live for each other, and they live a life that they don’t have to apologize for.” That pretty much sums up the essence of the very entertaining “Absolutely Fabulous.”
