The writers and directors of ‘The Hangover’ and ‘Bad Moms’ give us a little something in between in ‘Spa Weekend’ (2026).
Written and directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, the wacky take on wellness culture stars Leslie Mann, Isla Fisher, Michelle Buteau and Anna Faris.
As the title bluntly suggests, the film centres around a pivotal spa weekend. Three childhood friends meet up in midlife to escape the demands of their hectic jobs, single parenthood, tyrannical bosses and recent divorces. Their spa of choice is Solaris, an elite, beachfront escape that promises a moment to meditate, do goat yoga and guided meditations and sink into self-care.
Any semblance of serenity goes out the window when the trio’s wildcard fourth friend enters the mix, invited by Faris’ people-pleasing Sophie. The nightmare friend is a loud, vulgar little Australian named Mel, played gamely by Fisher. Mann stars as Jane, a straight-laced lawyer who’s too busy to date, and Buteau is the recent divorcee with anger issues and the discount to the fancy spa.
Upon Mel’s arrival, chaos ensues and the once tranquil spa is turned upside down as Shanti (Erika Heynatz), the spa manager and in-house guru, tries to restore calm if not throw the women out. There’s also a hot Australian yoga instructor named Kai, played by Adam Demos.
If you have some ideas about what happens next, that’s because ‘Spa Weekend’ is kind of predictable.
The location offers some novel moments in mud baths, during goat yoga and amid a sensual hand massage, but, for the most part, you’ll know where this is going.
What’s refreshing is seeing women in this age range (late 40s to mid 50s) letting loose, looking so vibrant and putting themselves first after years of self-abandonment and service.
If you like comedic sequences that are pretty lewd, jokes like “my last massage was a mammogram” and you enjoy taking jabs at the most insufferable aspects and individuals associated with high-end, white-washed wellness culture, you may enjoy this.
If you’re a little more discerning, maybe you won’t. It’s a ‘girl’s film’ written and directed by men and, at times, that may feel obvious.
But mostly ‘Spa Weekend’ is mindless, middling fare that advocates for self-care, anger management and not abandoning yourself in the bottomless pit of people-pleasing.
The film also champions the one friend in the group nobody likes, the sh*t shows, and the human clown cars who make life a little better and infinitely more interesting.
See this with a large popcorn, a grape slushy and your girlfriends.
– martha@namibian.com.na; Martha Mukaiwa on Twitter and Instagram; marthamukaiwa.com
