Is there anything more fabulous than a woman who is unapologetically herself?
Yes, there is…four fabulous women. And there is nothing and no one that fits this description quite like the Flossy Posse.
What can I say about this film, that the stellar line-up of ladies at the center of this wild ride don’t say for themselves. We have Ryan (Regina Hall) a self-help author and Oprah wannabe, Sasha (Queen Latifah) a celebrity gossip blogger, Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith) a divorced but devoted mother of two, and Dina (Tiffany Haddish) who rounds out the group as the no filter, no inhibitions, no self-control, supplier of sass.
After forging their inseparable posse status in college, their busy lives pull them away from each other to the point where, when we meet them, they haven’t seen each other in five years. So, when Ryan is invited to be the keynote speaker at the New Orleans Essence festival to promote her new book You Can Have It All, she invites her besties to share in a five-star all-expenses paid weekend to relax and rekindle their fractured friendship. And what a weekend it turns out to be. After arriving in New Orleans, the first jolt in their weekend joyride rears its ugly head. One of Sasha’s paparazzi contacts reveals Ryan’s perfect NFL superstar husband (Mike Colter) is having an affair. Immediately the Flossy Posse step into defend and protect mode, and Dina, upon seeing Ryan’s husband in their hotel bar launches a hate-fueled attack complete with smashed wine-bottle weapon. This raucous behavior sees them swiftly removed from the hotel premises eliminating the five-star luxury element of their weekend away. Cut to, a dingy motel frequented by three-dollar hookers and crazy naked old men, to a room where the women conclude that several chalk outlines have been sketched in the carpet.
Despite this minor setback the Flossy Posse commit to having the best weekend that they can, and boy do they ever. From absinthe-induced hallucinations, dance battles and an explicit demonstration in ‘grapefruiting’ at the breakfast table, this movie pulls out all the stops. And it’s the absurd and unexpected behavior that provides the most outrageous laugh-out-loud moments.
Director Malcolm D. Lee (The Best Man films) brings us an ensemble that seem genuinely concerned with the well-being of each other in a way that is uniquely charming and heartwarming, in a way that other films with a similar premise fail to do (sorry Rough Night). These four leading ladies share a fantastic chemistry that appears effortless and true to real life friendships. They are brutally honest with each other, and utterly accepting of who they have become as women.
In amongst this empowering black woman power, and stellar cameo appearances, is Kate Walsh playing Ryan’s personal assistant. In an ironic twist, it is Walsh playing the stereotype. She is cast as the token white girl, who in an attempt to be cool with her black ‘peeps’ regurgitates hood slang. It’s ridiculous, and completely hysterical.
If anything, the takeaway from this film is the importance of strong women in your life, who will pick you up when you’re down, or sit with you in the muck. But, if all else fails and you find yourself suspended above a busy street, drunk and pissing your pants, and your besties can’t stop you, at least you’ll know they’ll piss too.
