Girls Trip - Movie Review

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

This movie's premise basically sounds like The Hangover with added black girl power. But it's actually a lot more than that, with themes and ideas that emerge across the board. Although what audiences will remember are the more raucous comedic moments, which gleefully dive headlong into full-on vulgarity to keep the audience laughing all the way through to the big finale. And this will also be forever remembered as the movie that made The Carmichael Show's Tiffany Haddish a star.

She plays Dina, the sassy, hard-partying member of the Flossy Posse, a group of four friends from university 25 years ago. The others are superstar self-help guru Ryan (Regina Hall), notorious gossip blogger Sasha (Queen Latifah) and workaholic single mother Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith). Worrying that their friendship is fading away with time, Ryan proposes a reunion to travel to EssenceFest in New Orleans, where she's giving the keynote speech. So off they go to let their hair down and escape their responsible lives. But Sasha has just received a paparazzi photo of Ryan's football-star husband Stewart (Mike Colter) snuggling up with an Instagram model, and Dina immediately wants revenge. On the other hand, Ryan is concerned about maintaining her public image.

There are two big themes here that fit in rather nicely with the crazed antics that pepper the movie with rude flashes of riotous hilarity. First of course is the importance of sometimes setting your chores aside and just having fun with your friends. But the deeper message is about the importance of living honestly instead of just pretending that everything is great. Ryan, Sasha and Lisa have to face these issues and deal deeply with how they live their lives. Meanwhile, Dina just keeps partying. But then, she's the film's relentless scene-stealer, and the audience wouldn't have it any other way.

Beneath riotous antics involving a zip-line, a grapefruit and some hallucinatory absinthe cocktails, this is actually a surprisingly sweet movie with a plot that plays it rather safe. Ryan even has an alternative to her hunky cheating husband in a soulful musician (Larenz Tate), another college friend who just happens to be in town. Thankfully, director Malcolm D. Lee plays down these easy plot points to create a free-wheeling atmosphere in which each manic gag can flourish. By not pushing any of antics beyond the point of believability, no matter how outrageous they may be, Lee and his cast are able to make a movie the audience can identify with. And it will inspire quite a few drunken weekends to come.

Watch the trailer for Girls Trip:

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Facts and Figures

Year: 2017

Genre: Comedy

Reviews

Contactmusic.com: 3.5 / 5

Cast & Crew

Director: Malcolm D. Lee

Producer: Malcolm D. Lee, William Packer

Screenwriter: Kenya Barris, Tracy Oliver

Starring: Queen Latifah as Dina, Tiffany Haddish as Julian, Larenz Tate as Stewart Pierce, Mike Colter as Elizabeth Davelli, Kate Walsh as Simone, Deborah Ayorinde as Print Reporter, Janeline Hayes as Bethany, Lara Grice as Herself, Sunny Hostin as Ted, Ricky Wayne as Delores, Donna Biscoe as Aunt Marian, Tonea Stewart as Hobo Bob, Robert Miano as Himself, Ralph E. Tresvant as Herself, Estelle as Himself, Michael Lamont Bivins as Herself, Iyanla Vanzant as Himself, Common as Himself, Sean Combs as Herself, Faith Evans as Himself, Ne-Yo as Himself, Morris Chestnut as Herself, Lorraine Toussaint as Herself, Ava DuVernay as Absinthe Dealer, Mike Epps as Himself, William Levy as Herself, Mariah Carey as Himself

Also starring: Jada Pinkett-Smith, Malcolm D. Lee