Spa Weekend Opens in 3 Markets as Hangover Writers Miss With Female-Led Comedy

Q: With the film out today, does the cast's undeniable chemistry rescue Spa Weekend from its surprisingly tame script?

Only partly. The cast’s chemistry is widely seen as *Spa Weekend*’s main saving grace, but most reviews say it is not enough to overcome a script that is surprisingly safe and formulaic. Across the coverage, Leslie Mann, Anna Faris, Michelle Buteau and Isla Fisher are consistently praised for their comic timing and easy rapport. Several reviews describe the four leads as “especially watchable,” with their longtime-friends dynamic giving the film a breezy, easygoing appeal even when the material is familiar. Fisher, in particular, is often singled out as the standout chaotic presence, while Mann and Buteau give the film some emotional grounding. That said, critics broadly agree the screenplay does not fully capitalize on them. The film is described as predictable, sentimental and reluctant to push its “girls-gone-wild” premise into genuinely sharp or outrageous territory. Character arcs are often called thin and archetypal, and the jokes are said to land only intermittently. Even sympathetic reviews frame it as a modest, undemanding late-summer comedy rather than a standout in the genre. So the answer is yes, but only to a limited extent: the ensemble makes *Spa Weekend* more enjoyable than the script deserves and keeps it from collapsing into a slog. But the chemistry does not fully rescue the film from the larger complaint that, from the writers of *The Hangover*, this comedy feels oddly bland when it should have been much funnier and riskier.

3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 21

Spa Weekend debuted on Aug. 20 in Australia and Aug. 21 in the UK and US, marking the latest film from The Hangover writers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore.
Lucas and Moore wrote and directed the movie as a female counterpart to their 2009 bachelor-party hit, shifting the setup to four middle-aged women on a luxury spa break.
Leslie Mann, Anna Faris, Michelle Buteau and Isla Fisher lead the ensemble, with the plot centering on friendship tensions, romantic detours and a disruptive wild-card friend.
Reviews cast the release as a misfire, arguing the film swaps sharp comedy for sentimental high-jinks and never turns its premise into consistent laughs.