FILM REVIEW – GIRLS TRIP

The gang of four is a cinema staple that I have little experience with in my own life.

I’ve been in sports teams and bands and classrooms, but I can’t remember having a gang of three other mates that defined my existence.

Perhaps the “Wolfpack” is a generational thing? A cultural thing? It can’t be a gender thing, because when The Hangover film series took off, the ladies “posse” films followed suit.

In 2011 Bridesmaids set the messy benchmark for badly behaved female comedy ensemble films as it partied it’s way to make almost 10 times the budget at the global box office.

Earlier this year we saw Rough Night, as a gang of chicks reunited to celebrate one members impending nuptials. This Scarlett Johansson led effort could barely double the budget, despite having some hilarious moments.

On a $19 million USD budget, Girls Trip has already surpassed $100 million worldwide, as it opens to new markets globally, with Australia next in line.

The story follows four female pals, “The Flossy Posse” who having gone their separate ways, as they reunite at the “Essence” festival in New Orleans, an event celebrating African American women.

One of the posse members, Ryan Pierce (Regina Hall) is invited to deliver the keynote address and she decides to invite her gal pals along for a wild weekend.

Ryan, an inspirational author and speaker, is on the verge of signing a huge deal with a national retail chain to release her own line of products, in collaboration with her partner, Stewart, a professional athlete.

But their publicity perfect relationship is not all it is cracked up to be, and Ryan must deal with this collision of personal and professional lives, while also juggling the various personalities of her Posse.

First up is Sasha Franklin (Queen Latifah), a gossip blogger with bills to pay.

Jada Pinkett Smith plays Lisa, a divorced mother of two kids, who hasn’t had a sexual relationship with anything other than her detachable shower-head in several years.

Tiffany Haddish is Dina, the feistiest member of the gang, and the funniest character in the film.

The performers riff off one another naturally and it feels like they actually have known each other their entire lives.

The posse members are all fired up over the issues between Ryan and Stewart and these occasions create both drama and hilarious comedy as they stick their noses in Ryan’s business.

The title of the film offers a good hint to one of the key sequences when the girls drink absinthe and hallucinate over the course of several hours as they make their way through New Orleans.

The film balances laughs with serious moments well, but returns to it’s roots as an R-Rated crass comedy that is not afraid to go there.

Grapefruits on a dick, golden showers above a crowd of tourists, a homeless man delivering full frontal nudity, this film has that and a tonne even more offensive gags.

Given the similarity in the posters of Housos VS Authority and Girls Trip, a fan of one would most likely dig the other as this is flat out bad-mannered crude and smutty comedy. It also manages a heap of genuine emotional moments that make the film all the pore real, which in turn makes the comedy funnier.

Naughty AND Nice – 3 & ½ Stars.