Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie is set to premiere in the UK in just days, and three weeks later, the film will debut in the U.S. In anticipation of the premiere, Fox Searchlight has uploaded a series of featurettes showing clips from the movie, interviews with the cast and more.
When it comes to upcoming 2016 summer blockbusters, most observers are focusing on huge new sci-fi flicks like Star Trek: Beyond or superhero/villain films like Suicide Squad. There's a sleeper in their midst, however, in the form of the first Absolutely Fabulous movie, based on the iconic UK TV series that not only took its own nation by storm, but has developed a rabid following in the U.S. as well.
The comedic adventures of BFFs Patsy and Edina, played by series creator Jennifer Saunders and her real-life good friend Joanna Lumley, have been entertaining viewers across the pond and here in the states for 25 years now. The two stars are now back in a full-length feature film along with favorite supporting characters Julia Sawalha as Saffy, Jane Horrocks as Bubble and June Whitfield as Edina's mother.
After several years of claiming that the series was over for good, Saunders relented to fan demands for a big screen version, and the film is set to be released in the UK on July 1, with the stateside premiere penciled in for July 22. In anticipation of the film, studio Fox Searchlight has been uploading a series of featurettes to YouTube all month, and now, fans can binge-watch them in preparation for the main event.
One clip features the cast members discussing their characters, along with clips of each one culled from the new film. Another video reveals the slew of celebrity cameos in the movie, including stars like Jon Hamm, Rebel Wilson, Joan Collins and Kate Moss, along with more provincial UK stars such as Lulu and Emma Bunton. An additional featurette focuses upon the longstanding legacy of the show, while the most recently-released clip previews a club scene in the movie.
Another upload is a clip directly from the film in which Edina and Patsy discuss stem cell treatments as part of their never-ending quest to remain young. A "making of" video provides an overview of the film featuring brief interviews with its stars, while an additional clip focuses on the fashion in the movie. Finally, you can watch the full recorded two-hour live stream of the movie's London "gold carpet" premiere, which just took place on June 29. A brief written synopsis of the plot accompanies that upload, for those who don't mind a spoiler or two:
"Appropriate for their big screen debut, Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone (Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley) are still oozing glitz and glamour, living the high life they are accustomed to: shopping, drinking and clubbing their way around London's trendiest hotspots. But when they accidentally push Kate Moss into the River Thames at an über-fashionable launch party, Eddy and Patsy become entangled in a media storm surrounding the supermodel's untimely demise and are relentlessly pursued by the paparazzi. Fleeing penniless to the glamorous playground of the super-rich, the French Riviera, they hatch a plan to make their escape permanent and live the high life forever more!"
The U.S. premiere of Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie is slated for July 22.
