I was invited to attend an exclusive preview screening of the film Spa Weekend on August 20th at Sandton City Ster Kinekor. The event was hosted by 5FM, Life Day Spa, and Haus wines. On arrival, I was greeted by friendly staff, and presented with a goodie bag filled with various skincare products, a complementary can of Haus wine, and various vouchers. Once everyone had their popcorn and drink of choice, we headed into the cinema and found our seats.

Spa Weekend is as it sounds: a spa weekend getaway for a group of exhausted middle-aged friends with busy lives and families, who had fallen out of touch with themselves and each other. Three of them decide to not invite the fourth friend, who is repeatedly referred to as “the crazy one”, since they just wanted a relaxing weekend, but when one of them invites the fourth friend secretly, all hell breaks loose. From goat yoga to stealing a golf cart, the hijinks never cease, and lead to the women reconnecting with each other and themselves.



A standard comedy “chick flick” that isn’t particularly ground-breaking but still allows you to escape reality, Spa Weekend caters to an audience of women who are tired of having to put their families and jobs first, ignoring their own needs and becoming exhausted from not taking proper care of themselves. It promotes self-care while also looking at themes of sisterhood into adulthood, and finding yourself after your identity has shifted due to life events. The themes are very evident, and poignant quips relating to motherhood, friendship, and the diversity found in all friend groups are scattered throughout the film. One of the more memorable quips that came out of the film was from Coco, a mixed-race character, who said: “It’s so hard having white friends.”

It promotes self-care while also looking at themes of sisterhood into adulthood, and finding yourself after your identity has shifted due to life events.

The film comes from writers and directors John Lucas and Scott Moore, of Bad Moms (2016), 21 & Over (2013) and The Hangover (2009), so from that information alone you know it’s going to be laugh-out-loud-until-your-stomach-hurts funny, which it was. With these three films well-known for their irreverent and raunchy humour, it’s no surprise that Spa Weekend had similar raunchy jokes and situations, if a bit more on the tamer side. The jokes landed well and it will definitely cater to older female viewers.



Their writing for this film in particular was quick and snappy, especially with the dialogue. It kept you engaged and involved in the events happening on-screen. A lot of thought was put into creating the calm and relaxing atmosphere that is the core of most spas, and a similar amount of thought was put into thinking up events and situations that could disrupt that same serenity.

The film stars Leslie Mann as Jane, a successful lawyer and single mom; Isla Fisher as Mel, aka the “crazy”, fun-loving friend; Michelle Buteau as Coco, a divorcee mom with some anger management issues; and Anna Faris as Sophie, a married mom with a prick of a boss because she is a bit of a pushover.



The actresses each brought their own flair and spark to the film, doing a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life and making them feel relatable in their struggles of motherhood and jobs. You could also tell that the cast had a fun time while filming – the post-film blooper reel had many out-takes that shows how the actresses not just embodied the friendship of the characters, but also developed their own friendships while filming, a situation which definitely added to the chemistry between the characters. The blooper reel at the end also added to the fun factor of the movie, and further shows the amount of character that having fun can add to the filming and acting process.

While I may not be a mother myself, I could empathize with the characters and their struggles with their families and being working moms. I think to some extent we can all relate to the characters – when life gets so busy that the last things we put first are ourselves, our friendships, and our emotional health. This aspect of Spa Weekend speaks to all women, who are so used to putting themselves last for the sake of the job, of family, and in other situations.

Reviewed by Samantha Crerar