''Absolutely Fabulous'' (french: Absolument fabuleux) is a 2001 French

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

co-written and directed by

Gabriel Aghion Gabriel Aghion is a French film director and screenwriter. Aghion was born in Alexandria, in Egypt on 30 December 1955. He is openly gay."Bonjour, sweetie darling". '' The Advocate'', 20 November 2001. Selected filmography * '' La Scarlatine' ...

. It is an adaptation of the British television sitcom ''

Absolutely Fabulous ''Absolutely Fabulous'' (also known as ''Ab Fab'') is a British television sitcom based on the ''French and Saunders'' sketch, "Modern Mother and Daughter", created by Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. The show was created and written by Saund ...

'', created by

Jennifer Saunders Jennifer Jane Saunders (born 6 July 1958) is an English actress, comedian, singer and screenwriter. Saunders originally found attention in the 1980s, when she became a member of The Comic Strip after graduating from the Royal Central School of ...

and

Dawn French Dawn Roma French (born 11 October 1957) is a British actress, comedian, presenter and writer. French is known for writing and starring on the BBC comedy sketch show '' French and Saunders'' with her best friend and comedy partner, Jennifer Sau ...

. The film stars

Josiane Balasko Josiane Balasko (born Josiane Balašković; 15 April 1950) is a French actress, writer, and director. She has been nominated seven times for César Awards, and won twice. Career One of Balasko's most recognized roles among English speakers is ...

Nathalie Baye Nathalie Marie Andrée Baye (born 6 July 1948) is a French film, television and stage actress. She began her career in 1970 and has appeared in more than 80 films. A ten-time César Award nominee, her four wins were for '' Every Man for Himself'' ...

Marie Gillain Marie Gillain :fr:Mérite wallon, O.M.W. (born 18 June 1975) is a Belgium, Belgian actress. In 1996 Gillain received the Prix Romy Schneider. She is single and has two daughters, Dune (born in 2004, with musician Martin Gamet) and Vega (born in ...

and

Claude Gensac Claude Gensac (1 March 1927 – 27 December 2016) was a French actress. She appeared in more than 70 films and television productions since 1952. Gensac is the oldest nominee to date in the category César Award for Best Supporting Actress, nomi ...

. To parallel the role of

Lulu Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, ...

in the original series, French singer

Chantal Goya Chantal de Guerre (; born 10 June 1942), known as Chantal Goya (), is a French singer and actress. Goya started her career as a ''yé-yé'' girl, singing a catchy mid-1960s hybrid of girl-group pop and French ''chanson''. She also enjoyed a car ...

appeared as herself. Saunders makes a

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

as a spectator sitting next to

Catherine Deneuve Catherine Fabienne Dorléac (born 22 October 1943), known professionally as Catherine Deneuve (, , ), is a French actress as well as an occasional singer, model, and producer, considered one of the greatest European actresses. She gained recogni ...

at a fashion show.

Cast

as Edith "Eddie" Mousson *

as Patricia "Patsy" Laroche *

as Safrane Vaudoye * Vincent Elbaz as Jonathan *

as Mamie Mousson * Yves Rénier as Alain Vaudoye *

Saïd Taghmaoui Saïd Taghmaoui (born 19 July 1973) is a French-American actor and screenwriter. One of his major screen roles was that of Saïd in the 1995 French film ''La Haine'', directed by Mathieu Kassovitz. Taghmaoui has also appeared in a number of Eng ...

as Manu *

Armelle Armelle (born 23 July 1969 as Armelle Leśniak) is a French actress, comedian and screenwriter. Life and career After studies in Khâgne, she works as a costume-aid. Trained by Jean Périmony, her atypical physique and her personality do not ...

as Cerise *

Tomer Sisley Tomer Sisley (born Tomer Gazit; he, תומר סיסלי; born 14 August 1974) is an Israeli and French actor and comedian. Early and personal life Born in West Berlin, West Germany, to Israeli-born parents who had relocated for his father's job ...

as Kevin

Cameo appearances

as herself *

Stéphane Bern Stéphane Bern, OBE (; born 14 November 1963) is a French-Luxembourgish journalist, radio host and television presenter. He is known as a specialist in nobility and royalty. He has been awarded honours by several nations, including the Ordre des ...

as himself * Christophe Robin as himself *

Jean-Paul Gaultier Jean Paul Gaultier (; born 24 April 1952) is a French haute couture and prêt-à-porter fashion designer. He is described as an " enfant terrible" of the fashion industry and is known for his unconventional designs with motifs including corset ...

as himself *

as herself *

Brigitte Fontaine Brigitte Fontaine, (born 24 June 1939) is a singer of avant-garde music. She has employed numerous unusual musical styles, melding rock and roll, folk, jazz, electronica, spoken word poetry, and world. She has collaborated with Stereolab, Mic ...

as herself *

Estelle Lefébure Estelle Lefébure (; born 11 May 1965) is a French actress and model. She was one of the top fashion models in the 1980s and 1990s. Estelle Lefebure, as she was known in the early 1980s, was discovered by George Gallier and managed by him exclusi ...

as herself *

Claire Chazal Claire Chazal () (born 1 December 1956) is a French journalist, romance writer, and former director of news at a national television station, France 2. She had been the weekend news anchor at TF1 beginning in 1991, and gave her final broadcast at ...

as herself

Production

Aghion's stated reason for making the film was to increase awareness of the series in France, where it was not widely known. For the screenplay, Aghion translated scenes from the original series, and tied them together into a coherent screenplay. The role of Patsy was originally offered to

Amanda Lear Amanda Lear (; born 1939) is a French singer, songwriter, painter, television presenter, actress, and former model. She began her professional career as a fashion model in the mid-1960s, and went on to model for Paco Rabanne, Ossie Clark, and ...

, who declined by saying that she had "already lived it".

Reception

The film performed poorly at the French box office and was panned by most French critics, who argued that it failed to translate the typically British humour of the original television series.

References

External links

* * {{Absolutely Fabulous 2001 comedy films 2001 films Absolutely Fabulous Films based on television series Films directed by Gabriel Aghion French comedy films 2000s French-language films StudioCanal films 2000s French films