Cert 15
91 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language, drug misuse
Going back to the 1960s, much-loved British sitcoms have failed horribly when translated to the big screen.
So, add to the list of Please Sir!, On The Buses and The 1970s Dad's Army movie, this stretching of Absolutely Fabulous.
As with the aforementioned trio, writer Jennifer Saunders makes the mistake of rolling out the same old jokes as the much more punchy TV series.
Therefore, more than 20 years on, we are still meant to be laughing at Edina (Saunders) being lazy and fat, Patsy (Joanna Lumley) being an alcoholic maneater, Saffy (Julia Sawalha) being a serious frump, granny (June Whitfield) being a burden on her daughter and Bubbles (Jane Horrocks) being a ditzy PA who wears outrageous clothes.
To overcome this overwhelming sense of deja vu, there are arguably more celebrity cameos than any other film in recent years.
One of them, Kate Moss, is at the centre of a ridiculous plot with Edina accused of knocking her into the Thames at a launch party.
Moss, Lulu and Emma Bunton have the most air time of the celebs but there are so many I wondered whether they had all been deliberately hired so there were none left to criticise the movie.
I have to be honest and admit others among the busy Monday afternoon audience at Nottingham Cineworld were laughing at Mandie Fletcher's film.
I was not. It seemed to me to be a naked attempt to grab a bag of cash for little effort - a risible plot which doesn't take into account the many years between the TV series' pomp and now.
Lumley is easily the best feature of it but even she cannot elicit a laugh - largely because seeing a 70-year-old woman pretending to be 40 is more likely to prompt a cringe,
Reasons to watch: if you enjoy ticking off celebrities
Reasons to avoid: it is little more than a very fat TV episode
Laughs: none for me - others were tittering
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 4/10
Star tweet
jennifer saunders I am told there is an emoticon when you hashtag AB Fab Movie. Here goes. #ABFABMOVIE
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