If you're looking for a stellar friendship movie, look no further than Girls Trip.
The concept of a ‘friends' based comedy flick is not new. Additions to Netflix include Someone Great, Rough Night, Wine Country and Bridesmaids.
But honestly, Girls Trip is better than all of them. Though, to be fair, it probably ties with Bridesmaids in the comedy stakes.
What Is Girls Trip About?
It stars Regina Hall (Shaft and Support The Girls), Tiffany Haddish (The Afterparty), Jada Pinkett-Smith and Queen Latifah (End of the Road) and is based on four college friends who go on a weekend to New Orleans.
Known as the ‘Flossy Posse', Hall plays Ryan Pierce, a highly successful author and woman who seemingly has it all. Pinkett-Smith plays Lisa Cooper, a recently divorced mum of two who has lost her edge a little.
Queen Latifah plays Sasha, an online celebrity gossip columnist. And Tiffany Haddish plays Dina, an impulsive but happy party animal.
When Ryan is offered the chance to be the keynote speaker at the annual Essence Festival in New Orleans, she takes the opportunity to bring her friends along for the trip.
However, things don't go exactly to plan when she discovers that her husband, and business partner, has been having an affair.
Clearly not a good thing, but even less so when your brand is based on ‘having it all'.
Things are made worse when it is Sasha who receives the incriminating evidence. Needing the money badly to avoid eviction, she must decide where her loyalties lay.
Throw in some crazy antics from Dina, enough dancing to make the Big Easy blush, and a repressed Lisa who finally dusts off the cobwebs, and you have a really funny movie.
Girls Trip Official Trailer
Is Girls Trip Worth Watching?
The movie does have its detractors. Girls Trip can be crude in parts, so it is a rare r rated comedy, and maybe it's just my sense of humour, but I found it hilarious.
I thought Tiffany Haddish was comedy gold, whereas others were not so convinced. I suppose it depends entirely on what you find funny.
The compelling characters brought a lot of good-natured fun as well as the realness of friendship, and the time spent watching it whizzed by.
What does elevate Girls Trip from any other movie or comedy is the more dramatic side of the film.
When your whole life is tethered to the very person who betrays you, where do you go from there?
Hopefully, into the welcoming arms of three friends as loyal and funny as Lisa, Dina, and Sasha.
Where Was Girls Trip Filmed?
Girls Trip went into pre-production in June 2016. Filming began a couple of months later, with the entire movie wrapped up in January 2017.
The entire movie was filmed in New Orleans using locations such as Hotel Monteleone and The Roosevelt.
It was given a release date of July 2017 and did a storm at the box office, raking in $140,552,359 against a budget of $19 million.
Girls Trip Movie Cast
In order to create an engaging, thoughtful but hilarious comedy that pushes boundaries, you need to have a brilliantly assembled cast. Director Malcolm D. Lee got the best from his four lead actors, along with an excellent supporting cast.
Regina Hall as Ryan Pierce, a bestselling author
Queen Latifah as Sasha Franklin, an Internet gossip reporter
Jada Pinkett Smith as Lisa Miller Cooper, a nurse and mom
Tiffany Haddish as Dina, their happy-go-lucky friend
Larenz Tate as Julian Stevens, a musician
Mike Colter as Stewart Pierce, Ryan's cheating husband
Kate Walsh as Elizabeth Davelli, a business agent
Mike Epps as an absinthe seller
