‘Spa Weekend’ Review: Leslie Mann and Isla Fisher in a High-Concept Comedy Without the Comic Highs

Movie genres wax and wane over time in a way that can be borderline imperceptible. The Western did its slow fade through the 1960s, but it took a while to realize that it was heading into the sunset. On a less exalted level, I watched “Spa Weekend” and realized that the genre it’s in—the high-concept comedy with the concept in the title—may now be entering its twilight zone. Written and directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, who made the brashly clever and likable “Bad Moms” (but were launched by their script for “The Hangover”), “Spa Weekend” is a comedy about four old friends who go on a deluxe spa getaway. The film features a minor-league star cast: Leslie Mann as Jane, a high-strung attorney and divorced single mother; Anna Faris as Sophie, a blonde mouse who’s been the personal assistant to a tyrannical boss for 10 years; Michelle Buteau as Coco, also divorced with two kids; and Isla Fisher as Mel, a foul-mouthed British trainwreck in ridiculously loud clothing. Fisher is cast against type, playing Mel as a bawdy, antic, disheveled character the other three can’t stand. The movie satirizes the New Age elitism of wellness culture, but the jokes feel tired and predictable. The women’s antics—like a raucous golf-cart ride through the spa grounds, a mud fight in a mud bath, and a goat yoga session devolving into chaos—are all expected. The four women are cardboard-cutout archetypes: Jane, who schedules dates three months in advance; Coco, whose anger issues are reduced to stereotypes; Sophie, the assistant to a tyrannical boss; and Mel, the central theme of the female friend group’s mutual hatred. The Solaris Eden Beach spa, a luxe white-on-white beachfront hotel, offers pampering as exhibitionism. The spa’s general manager, Shanti, glows with superiority, and the hot Aussie yoga instructor Kai makes an eye contact with Jane, sparking a moment of tension. By 45 minutes in, Jane and Kai run into each other at the hotel bar, revealing her cynicism about the spa’s pretenses. Isla Fisher’s performance as Mel feels too grounded, lacking the spark of insanity expected in her character. The film struggles to find enough originality in its jokes, and Leslie Mann’s straight-arrow Jane lacks the same comedic energy. “Spa Weekend” is distributed by Black Bear Pictures, a company that previously worked with major studios. The film’s overly processed bad-behavior comedy feels dated, signaling that such genres are running out of gas. The movie’s ending, where nothing significant happens, underscores its lack of impact.