★★ ½
Female debauchery. Brazen sex gags. Wild and reckless hilarity. Enjoy the riotous, raunchy laughs here and -- whether you're a guy or a gal -- you'll have as much fun as these vibrant ladies are having in Girls Trip.
The movie will have audiences guffawing as they watch four middle-aged African-American women rekindle their friendship during a trip to New Orleans, where they party hard and celebrate their black womanhood. Calling themselves the Flossy Posse – a moniker that comes complete with corny, bedazzled denim vests -- the foursome are led by Ryan Pierce (Regina Hall), a rising-star on the brink of securing a Martha Stewart-sized empire. The rest of the group include Queen Latifah as Sasha, Jada Pinkett Smith as Lisa, and Tiffany Haddish as Dina.
Ryan says that the trip is about making memories they can laugh about for the rest of their lives, and the comic situations they get themselves into are certainly memorable. Viewers won’t likely forget a gag involving one of the ladies riding on a zip line or a scene in which a grapefruit is used to demonstrate a sexual technique.
The narrative moves along at a decent clip, though it's a touch longer than it needs to be. And while the story is serviceable, it’s really the acting that carries this comedy. The chemistry between all of the actresses brings the film to life: They give and take a good ribbing throughout, and their reactions to the madness around them are well-timed and pitch-perfect. Lisa and Dina in particular steal the show, with Lisa’s proper motherliness playing well off of Dina’s crassness.
In between the hilarity and comic mishaps, conflict and drama propel the story -- a burden carried mostly by Sasha and Ryan. The plotting is one of the weaker aspects of the movie: For instance, the conflict that originally tore this group of friends apart feels contrived, and the ending wraps up too conveniently.
But, at the end of the day, most people don’t go to these films for the plot or drama. It's great just to see these women dealing with the outrageous messes they get into, or enjoying a cocktail of hoots and laughter while celebrating their friendship and a sense of female solidarity.
Girls Trip throws a lot at the audience and most of it sticks, tickling the funny bones of those of us who are okay with its brazen jokes about body parts and sex acts. Ladies might walk away from the movie wishing for their own girls' trip. Heck, even the gents might want to think about a boys’ trip of their own. Either way, you’ll never look at a grapefruit the same way again.