Disappointing Getaway

Imagine booking a trip that promises to be a blissful getaway, only to find yourself having a disappointing time once you arrive. The resort’s food tastes bland, the pillows cause neck pain, and there’s not much to do beyond lounging beside a lukewarm pool. If you’ve ever had this experience, the aura of letdown surrounding ‘Spa Weekend’ will feel familiar.

On paper, ‘Spa Weekend’ is a variation on the ‘R-rated hijinks plus heartfelt emotion plus beloved cast’ equation that has worked well for films like ‘Bridesmaids’ and ‘Girls Trip.’ However, in execution, the hijinks feel tame, the emotion shallow, and the stars underserved.

A Disappointing Premise

The premise of ‘Spa Weekend’ revolves around the title itself – a two-night stay at a wellness retreat for overworked Los Angeles lawyer Jane (Leslie Mann) and her two childhood besties, Sophie (Anna Faris) and Coco (Michelle Buteau). The trip promises to be a break they desperately need, but it quickly devolves into chaos.

The whiplash-inducing speed with which the trio goes from ‘Oh, I couldn’t possibly’ to ‘We’ve booked the room’ is meant to be aspirational, suggesting that they’re finally taking care of themselves. However, it has the condescending effect of implying that their struggles were never real to begin with.

A Meddling Mel

The unwanted fourth member of their circle is Mel (Isla Fisher), who’s only scored a last-minute pity invite thanks to Sophie’s guilty conscience. Mel brings chaos to the group, causing a guided meditation session to devolve into a shouting match, a chill evening into a cocaine-fueled rager, and a short walk between spa treatments into a wild golf cart chase.

However, Mel’s behavior is upsetting and mortifying to her friends, and the film slowly but predictably gets around to the argument that the world needs Mels – the hot messes who force everyone else out of their miserable but societally approved ruts. This message would be nice if not for the fact that the script undercuts it by keeping all its characters too vague and one-dimensional to care much about.

A Talented Cast Wasted

The ability to occasionally evoke other, better projects does not a good film make. ‘Spa Weekend’ has nothing fresh or insightful or even all that amusing to add to the familiar formula it’s borrowing – and for all its apparent good intentions, nothing much more meaningful to offer the overworked, overstressed moms of the world than the suggestion that maybe they could, like, try taking a vacation sometime.

While the cast, including Leslie Mann, Isla Fisher, and Anna Faris, has deployed their skills more effectively elsewhere, ‘Spa Weekend’ fails to deliver a compelling narrative or memorable characters. If this is what a big relaxing escape looks like, you’re better off saving the money and chilling at home.