DVD
Review | Absolutely Fabulous (Series 5)
Written by: Kage
Alan
It’s hard to believe that “Absolutely Fabulous”
has been around for over a decade now. The leads are still as funny
as they ever were, only the characters have changed a bit over the
years. Instead of being the booze-drinking, drug-taking, men-humping
divas they started out to be, they’ve tamed down, no longer play with
drugs (except the occasional joint), rarely have sex, yet are
remaining boozehounds and remaining simply fabulous by their sheer
outrageousness. It was definitely a smart move for them to take
breaks in between each series and come back fresh because their work
continues to show. I believe they’re working on a new series, too, so
I’m very eager to see it when it arrives in stores.
Eddy (Jennifer Saunders) and best friend Patsy
(Joanna Lumley) are back and at it again in yet another hilarious
season. This time, however, they’re really having the time of their
lives as the series opens since daughter Saffy (Julia Sawalha) is still
off in Africa doing something the women just wouldn’t understand;
helping people. Life as they know it is about to change, however, when
Saffy arrives home with a surprise. No, she’s not overweight as Eddy
suspects. She’s pregnant! And while that might not thrill mom or
Patsy, just wait until they meet the father, John Johnston (Felix
Dexter). He’s not British, not even from Britain and not Caucasian.
After some confusion ensues, it finally dawns on
Eddy that Saffy’s baby is going to be culturally mixed. What’s that
mean? It means that Eddy is going to extremely popular since “mixed” is
“in”! The downside is that it also means Eddy is going to be a
grandmother, a word she promises she’ll cut the tongue of the child off
if she ever hears the word even start to come out its mouth. Between
trying to schmooze Emma Bunton, Minnie Driver and Elton John, and
getting caught in her panic room, Eddie is also busy trying to get Saffy
to leave the baby with her so she can get a cover with Jean-Paul
Gaultier. Sound like fun? Not for poor Saffy.
After having done it all (or at least more than
most people will do in a lifetime), then jet setting to NYC and finding
her son in “Gay,” Eddie and Patsy are dealing with an entirely new
issue; a baby. Fortunately, Saffy isn’t quite driven to the brink of
madness that she usually is. That’s the only complaint I’ve ever had
with the show. The two main women can be downright cruel to Saffy and
in the worst way. She gives as good as she gets in this series, though,
so it’s fun to watch. The presence of supporting cast members Jane
Horrocks, June Whitfield and Mo Gaffney add a great deal of fun to the
mix.
BBC has released “Absolutely Fabulous (Series 5)”
in its original Widescreen ratio. Picture quality is quite nice and
sharp. There’s only a hint of grain and those are location shots, so no
complaints. Audio is clear and there are optional subtitles for those
of you not used to British English. Special features include 21 minutes
of bloopers in the featurette titled “Mistaken” and a “Gallery.” What
happened to commentaries like we had in Series 4? I’m very pleased to
see the bloopers, but the rest pales in comparison.
Now that baby Lola has been born, I can only begin
to imagine what the next series will entail. Will Saffy become her
mother? Will Eddy finally get the baby on the cover of a magazine?
Will she also be recognized as the hip woman with a culturally mixed
grandchild without being labeled a grandmother? What will become of
John Johnston? Will he and Saffy get married? I look forward to
finding out…and I’m not the only one!
Film Rating:
B+
DVD Special Features: C+
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