Reality is not what prevails in "Spa Weekend", the latest chaotic comedy from Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, writers of "The Hangover" and directors of "Bad Moms". The lead actresses—Leslie Mann, Isla Fisher, Michelle Buteau and Anna Faris—constantly misbehave in front of supporting actors with blank expressions, even when four middle-aged women stage a full-on brawl in the lobby of a luxurious beachfront hotel. No one seems to mind that nearly everyone has an Australian accent, despite the film supposedly taking place 160 kilometres from Los Angeles, where it was filmed in Queensland.
Still, Lucas and Moore are not afraid to occasionally venture into realistic and even weightier issues. Their characters inhale cocaine and interact with exotic dancers at one moment, then attempt to unpack their deep conflicts and need for therapy the next. Their "Bad Moms" films tread similar ground: zany comedy scenes interspersed with genuinely heartfelt reflections on how hard it is to be a modern woman burdened by the demands of "having it all".
Fans of those films will surely enjoy this one, which also boasts an extremely talented and fully committed ensemble cast. The central quartet keeps "Spa Weekend" together, even when the film worryingly derails. The four women are established as friends since high school, where their personalities froze in time, and by the time we see them in middle age, their defining traits have become even more pronounced.
At 97 minutes long, the film's script has little room for those broader backstories. Instead, the story slots each woman into a designated category: Mann is the workaholic with too many commitments, Faris is a pushover at the mercy of her dim-witted boss, and Fisher is simply a wild person. Buteau gets more substance, though her complicated divorce and deep-seated anger are used too often as the big dramatic argument.
Sophie, the soft-spoken member of the group, secretly invites Mel, who has been missing, to a luxury weekend to celebrate Jane's birthday. When Mel arrives, everything falls apart, but at least charming Fisher is willing to play someone who is completely annoying and totally winning. The writers are oddly in tune with how such a madcap comedy should work, but the result is an awkward balance between loud laughs and real-world concerns that makes the film uneven viewing. Black Bear will release "Spa Weekend" in cinemas on Friday, 21 August.
