Movie: Ibiza
My Rating: 4 stars
I kinda loved this movie. On paper, it’s a light and silly, vacation movie. It’s a story about a young woman whose girlfriends tag along with her on a business trip to Spain. Naturally, instead of preparing for a big client meeting, she ends up going out with her friends, falling in love with a club DJ, and following him to Ibiza. Hilarity ensues. But, the film also has a lot of real emotional impact too. This is the kind of movie that allows you to remember what it feels like to be young, and alive, and wildly irresponsible. It’s got it all—booze, drugs, sexual encounters with attractive strangers, dancing all night to EDM. And, all without the inevitable hangover and crushing sense of regret.
This is a very goofy comedy. It’s mostly physical, slapstick, and silly visual jokes. And yes, it does technically fall into the category of “girls trip comedy” that we’ve been seeing a lot of lately. But, this one feels tonally different from those crude, cliched flicks. For a while, it seemed like we were seeing a lot of “rude girl” movies that were trying to capitalize on the success of Bridesmaids (e.g. Girls Trip or Rough Night). Those movies are fun, but they’re intended to be pure, vulgar comedy, and fail to have any real heart. However, this movie manages to capture the reckless feeling of being a partying 20-something, while maintaining a lot of the emotional turmoil you’re also going through at that age. It’s a tough line to walk, but this movie weaves the comedy and the poignancy together seamlessly. It’s the kind of movie that gets you pumped up and has you asking, “Why don’t we do stuff like that anymore?” And, then a few scenes later, it reminds you exactly why you don’t. I don’t know how the filmmakers managed to conjure up the greasy, hazy feeling of being phenomenally hungover, but the sensation is palpable.
I think what really makes this movie a success is the acting. A lot of actors fancy themselves comedians, but very few of them get it right. Comedy is an activity best left to the experts. And, our three main leads, Gillian Jacobs, Vanessa Bayer, and Phoebe Robinson, are experts. But, it’s not just them. Really, the whole cast is pretty amazing. It feels like they all have a really intuitive sense for comedy (especially Vanessa Bayer). And, the filmmakers had the good sense not to meddle with it. Nothing can ruin a movie faster than producers notes. I definitely recommend this movie, as long as you’re not offended by depictions of excessive drug and alcohol use. But, the movie isn’t really condoning that kind of thing. It just asks you to accept that it exists out in the world, and gently pokes fun at it. So, if you’re willing to forego clutching your pearls for an evening, I think you’ll find that this movie is a lot of fun.