When did hen nights (called bachelorette parties in America) become so
popular? They've always existed, but when I was young they were quiet, demure
affairs where a bride had a few drinks with her friends before her marriage.
If they decided to have a wilder party, they kept it secret and went wild
behind closed doors. That's not what happens now. On hen nights the bride and
her friends go out partying in public, wearing gaudy dresses and waving
plastic penises in the air. When did this start? The first time I became aware
of it was about ten years ago, but it's possible that it started much earlier.
That's what this film is about. The girls night out in the title is a hen
night. I should call it a bachelorette party, because it takes place in
America. Jess, Alice, Frankie and Blair were sorority sisters. They were best
friends. At graduation they promised they'd stay together forever, but that's
not how things happen. The four girls went their separate ways. Jess is a
politician, campaigning for the state senate. Alice is a school teacher.
Frankie is a political activist. Blair seems to be living off her wealth
instead of working.
Now Jess is about to get married. She meets her three friends for a
bachelorette party in Miami. Also invited is her friend Pippa from Australia.
That makes five girls going wild in Miami. Drinking, dancing and drugs.
Despite Jess's protests, they take cocaine together. They relax in their
holiday apartment by the beach to enjoy their stripper. But there's an
accident. Alice jumps on his lap, he falls over and bangs his head, and he's
dead immediately.
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| Blair, Alice, Jess, Frankie and Pippa |
When I watched this film two years ago I only gave it two stars. Ever since
then it's been stuck in my head, and I thought I should give it another
chance. I've rated it more highly this time. Last time I said the script was
dull, and it is, but this time I appreciate the humour more.
The film starts off dull, but after the stripper's death it's a hilarious
comedy. What do you do if you have a dead body in your apartment? The sensible
thing would be to call the police and tell them it was an accident. The
trouble is that Jess is running for office, so she can't afford the police
finding her under the influence of cocaine. So they decide to hide the body
until morning. Not a good idea. Then they try to dispose of the body, but it's
not as easy as they think.
Kate McKinnon is perfect as Pippa. We expect nothing less from her. I was
pleasantly surprised to see that Scarlett Johansson is capable of comic
timing. It's a good film, if you can put up with the slow start.
Make sure you don't miss the after-credits scene. It's important.
The photo at the top shows an alternate title. The film's original title
is "Rough Night", but it's called "Girls Night Out" in most other countries.
"Girls Night Out" is a better title.
Success Rate: + 0.4
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On a different note, I think I'll watch more films on streaming platforms,
starting next week. I've subscribed to Netflix for the last five years. I
occasionally watch films, but more commonly television series. In most cases I
didn't even mention in my review that I watched a film on Netflix, unless it
was a film exclusive to Netflix. I share my Netflix account with my two sons,
and they both use it more than me, because neither of them owns a DVD player.
My older son subscribes to Disney Plus, and he lets me use his account. So far
I've just used it to watch Marvel series, but there are a few films on Disney
Plus that I'm interested in. My plan, starting next week, is to have a Disney
Wednesday, Netflix Thursday and Amazon Friday. DNA. Perfect! As always, I'm
not promising that I'll watch a film on a streaming service every week. I'll
see how it turns out as I go along.
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