And you thought ‘Brexit’ was disruptive
‘Ab Fab’ duo finally makes the big time — er, the big screen
LONDON — Sweetie darling! They’re back!
Politicians may crumble, but Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone, London’s most intrepid consumers of Bolly (Champagne), Stolly (vodka), drugs, Botox and any passing trend, will apparently never change.
“Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie,” which opened locally Friday, features the unreconstructed, unrepentant duo invented by comedian Jennifer Saunders for a BBC series of the same name in 1992. Soon known as “Ab Fab,” the show, with Saunders as Edina and Joanna Lumley as Patsy, has enjoyed an intermittent life and adoring fans since, popping up for several seasons in the early 2000s and again in 2011-12.
The movie, directed by Mandie Fletcher, features “Ab Fab” favorites, such as Edina’s disapproving daughter Saffy (Julia Sawalha) and an endless succession of cameos, including those by Jon Hamm, Stella McCartney and Kate Moss, whom Edina manages to push into the Thames, an incident that sets the not-very-complex plot in motion. (“It’s not great cinema, or even peak ‘Fabulous,’ but for a post-Brexit Britain in dire need of some cheering up, it more than does the job,” Guy Lodge wrote in Variety.)
In a hotel here on the day after Britain had voted to leave the European Union, Saunders and Lumley at first talked gloomily about the result, both expressing their disbelief at the news. But they perked up when the conversation turned to their new film, talking about their characters, changes in the fashion world and whether the world can expect more Ab-fabulousness in the future.
Q: Why an “Absolutely Fabulous” movie now?
Saunders: I have often thought about it but, unfortunately, you have to have an idea. Somehow, this seemed like an interesting time to show Patsy and Edina (being) overtaken by what’s going on in the world. I was with our producer Jon Plowman, who was going, “Think of a plot, think of a plot!” I said, well it’s about Edina, her PR business is failing, and she needs a big new client. And of course it had to be Kate Moss because Edina just wants to be in the elite crowd. And then I thought, it would be hilarious if Edina accidentally killed her!
Lumley: Jen had written the whole thing, everyone was thrilled, the studio had accepted it, and someone said to her, is Kate OK with it? She had completely forgotten to ask her. Saunders: That’s because I was in a car with Stella McCartney and told her about it, and she said of course Kate will do it. Somehow, in my head that seemed like enough. Of course she did do it!
Lumley: You can tell by the way Jen said, “I was in a car with Stella McCartney” that unlike Edina, she is, in fact, part of the cool crowd.
Q: You have been playing Patsy and Edina for 25 years now. What keeps drawing you back? Lumley: We never get a chance to see each other in real life, so it’s such fun. We actually look forward to flights and promotional trips so that we can talk.
Saunders: And when we are sitting together, airline stewards think we have to drink Champagne continuously and often press bottles on us when we leave. We emerge clinking.
Lumley: I love Patsy and Edina. Patsy is getting more and more grotesque; there is nothing inside her at all. The absurdity of their lives, the wall of Champagne in Edina’s house, it’s just heaven to get back there. The funny thing is that Jen and I are literally the polar opposites of the characters. I like decoupage and making biscuit tins. I save tissue paper and reuse it. Saunders: My hobby, when I’m on holiday in Italy, is watching passing yachts with my binoculars. Then I Google them; you can find out every- thing.
Lumley: We are on a yacht like that in the movie. It was so white and overwhelming, you couldn’t relax.
Saunders: We didn’t have time to relax. We could only afford about 10 minutes of petrol!
To come back to your question, I think these characters allow you to say things you’re not allowed to say. Although doing a film is very different to making a television series on that front. Everything is run through lawyers, and it’s much more constraining. It was much harder for them to be outrageous. But the characters are also interesting to me now because they’re not as happy, they’re not at the forefront of things. They felt more successful earlier on, more lookedat. Now everyone is looking at themselves, and they don’t even have a presence on social media. They don’t have much of a clue. Lumley: Patsy is look- ing at Tinder, obviously.
Saunders: But there isn’t much in the modern world they relate to. Which is why they go to the South of France in the movie. That’s glamour to them. They have this vision of lying in Monte Carlo and being Ava Gardner. In their minds, they live in a different era.
Q: Have there been big changes in the fashion world since you started making the series?
Saunders: Yes, when we first started, no one really knew the big brands. By Series 2, people were more label savvy. Now online has changed everything. You can buy everything without talking to anyone. You don’t have to face Bond Street or Madison Avenue and worry if you are too fat. You don’t look at Vogue anymore and say, “What’s in fashion?”
In the film, we made the fashion as British as we could. Of course Edina has always loved Vivienne Westwood, and they made a lot of outfits for her, all too small and uncomfortable. What I do for my art. Lumley: Of course they think they are gorgeous. Saunders: And a nanosecond away from fame. All they have to do is meet Kate Moss. They are so optimistic; that’s what I love about them.
Q: Toward the end of the film, Edina has a moment of truth, and says, “I know who I am.” Does she?
Lumley: Yes, I think she does. That moment is with Saffy, and I have always thought that the main theme in the show is the family stuff rather than the fashion and PR stuff. Edina is constantly on the go so that she doesn’t have to stop and think about how she feels. I thought it would be good to have that moment. But as long as Patsy is there to say, “All you need is a nice little drink,” she can go straight back to being fabulous. What is the alternative for them, after all?
Q: Will there be more “Absolutely Fabulous?”
Saunders: I don’t know. I’m not going to say. Lumley: Oh, I should think so. Saunders: You are the very devil.
Lumley: I think what happened with “Brexit” is a very good opportunity for Patsy and Edina. Saunders: (Abstracted, plotdeveloping look on face) Hmmm … I think you are right. Lumley: How much can a small country cost?