Taking a standard guys road trip film and flipping it on its ear by casting an all girl line-up is only the entry point for this enjoyable film. The aspect that really rewards the viewer is the camaraderie that the main players show towards each other. It’s easy to feel that the laughs didn’t stop just because the cameras stopped rolling.
There are not a lot of surprises in store via the script but what they get just right is the chemistry between the four friends and how shared time together actually does build a bond that can transcend time. The humour runs the gambit from adult humour to juvenile shenanigans that are every bit as childish as dude road movie’s stock in trade.
Friends getting back together after life has driven them apart is a tale often told on screen but there is a genuine nature at work here that helps you get past the cliches. Main players Regina Hall, Tiffany Haddish, Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith are well chosen and it’s great that they each have a unique look and different body type, no cookie cutter female leads here.
Girls trip is the kind of film critics often times hate but audiences love and it makes one wonder how different that reception would be if it was an all male cast. Viva la difference.
Rob Hudson
www.uphe.com
