“Whooo! I am a total cliché right now and I don’t f–king care!” says the protagonist of Ibiza, the female buddy comedy that landed on Netflix at the end of May. Twenty years before the current crop of Hollywood female buddy films became a collection of tropes, the Sex and the City series arrived on the scene to be the enduring cornerstone of sorts in the genre.
Almost every film that fit into this mould carried strains of the iconic series. India got it’s SATC 20 years too late in the form of Veere Di Wedding. Most of the criticism that was levelled at SATC also came its way - vapid, foul-mouthed, aspirational, brazen and showcasing the miseries and triumphs of a bunch of ‘privileged’ women. But the emotional heft and the chemistry of the leads belied the frivolity.
So if you thought Veere Di Wedding (VDW) came close to filling the void or if you’re the one who dissed it till the cows came home, there’s a high probability that you are looking for your next fix, Ibiza on Netflix could be your antidote. A work trip turns into a NSFW trip when Harper's two best friends tag along - the story is as wafer thin as it gets and basks in its forced silliness.
Though as flimsy as the plot of VDW, the film boasts three great female comedians in the lead - Gillian Jacobs (Love), Phoebe Robinson (2 Dope Queens) and Saturday Night Live alum Vanessa Bayer. Not faring well on the Bechdel test, the film falters since it’s devoid of the emotional core that the most formulaic buddy films rely on. But some of the crackling lines sans the emotional baggage will whet your appetite like only junk fare can. It does not play out the conventions of romantic comedy but the girls are in for some pure no-strings attached fun, except Harper (Gillian Jacobs) whose obsession with an EDM Dj makes the squad reroute their trip from Barcelona to Ibiza.
It’s the sharp and improv-like dialogue coupled with the snappy rapport that makes the shaggy comedy any good - or like Indians would say - one-time watch. Amusing in parts and forgettable.
But if you’re looking for a definitive film, that breathes new life into the genre, you’ll have to wait for Tiffany Hadish’s Girls Trip to hit the streaming websites.
If you’re not aware of the comedic prowess of the three zany ladies - think of this film as an introduction to them. Let what happened in Ibiza stay there and give this crew a series where their character arcs can bloom. Netflix, are you listening?
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