Spa Weekend Review: Hilarity Ensues in a Rare, Crowd-Pleasing Studio Comedy

Spa Weekend is not in theaters.

Normally, critics are given exclusive access to industry-only screenings that allow us to see movies early alongside our peers. Every so often, that doesn’t happen. Sometimes we’re relegated to digital screeners on our laptops or smart TVs, or to an opening night theatrical screening where we’re given a ticket to see it alongside a live audience. In some ways, that can feel like a slight, but here it was clearly the right tactical move. I couldn’t think of a better way to experience Spa Weekend than surrounded by the packed theater of women I saw it with tonight. Spa Weekend is that rare type of 2000s-style comedy about a group of women in their late 30s and 40s who take off on a weekend getaway. Their trip is quickly derailed by the chaotic friend they didn’t want to invite, who brings utter madness to their otherwise normal lives.

Spa Weekend Review

We’re treated to a wide variety of mothers looking to get away from their stressful, overscheduled routines and take some relaxation for themselves. It’s unusual, charismatic, and funny to throw this spin onto an overplayed genre, letting actresses who have spent years playing moms across various films portray realistic, three-dimensional women having a blast. It feels like an idea that has been touched on before, yet still functions as a fresh comedic lane.

I can’t tell you the delight of sitting in the front row of a Burbank theater, listening to the women all around me cackling through every beat and falling in love with these characters. It’s a pleasant surprise that this was written and directed by two men, Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. The Hangover and Bad Moms filmmakers tap into the brains of these women in a way that elicited some of the strongest, loudest laughs I’ve heard as a theater-goer.

Throughout all of this, Spa Weekend functions as a movie about the wonders of vacation and the everyday struggles of ordinary life. In many ways, it elevates a tested formula. What has previously been reserved for the raunchy teenage male perspective is shifted to women in their late thirties and forties trying to enjoy their lives. It takes the tropes once defined by annoying young frat guys and hands them to women who have earned the right to let loose. The jokes are occasionally easy, and at times the movie dips into formulaic sitcom territory or simplistic humor, but it generally treads a fine line between crowd-pleasing accessibility and well-written comedy.

Leslie Mann brings that wonderful, frazzled maternal energy she has perfected for years, making her the ideal anchor for the chaos. Michelle Buteau brings dramatic intrigue to the group as a woman navigating a complicated relationship with her divorced husband and children, balancing sharp wit with real vulnerability.

Isla Fisher, being the manic whirlwind that she is, steals the show at nearly every turn with an unhinged physical commitment that is impossible not to laugh at. Anna Faris is solid, delivering a quirky, understated performance that balances out the louder personalities around her. The four leads bounce off each other with the natural shorthand of old friends, making every wild escalation feel earned.

The film features a formulaic plot that stretches its runtime thin in the home stretch, yet through its best moments, it manages to be funnier and more dramatic than you expect. There’s something fantastic about being a 22-year-old guy finding myself giggling and kicking my feet at humor clearly designed to appeal to mothers.

Is Spa Weekend worth watching?

Spa Weekend is the movie that it sets out to be: something heartwarming, blissful, and exciting about motherhood, growing up, and not caring how the world perceives you. It honors the moms who raise us to be the people who get to sit in theaters and review movies in the first place.

Spa Weekend releases in theaters on August 21.

Spa Weekend Review: Hilarity Ensues in a Rare, Crowd-Pleasing Studio Comedy