First ‘Absolutely Fabulous’ Trailer Appreciates the Finer Things in Life

A vision of paradise in a tropical idyll: a speedboat gently bounces across the waves, its cargo most revelers and booze. A pair of bathing trouser-clad hunks cast yearning glances as thy enjoy a little casual fishing. The cocktails are plentiful, creative, and prepared to perfection. A seductive French pop tune coos on the soundtrack over visuals of a long walk down a picturesque coastline, and further cocktails over dinner in clean, freshly-pressed couture. These flashes of luxury belong in a perfume advertisement, or maybe a car commercial, but one of those classy car commercials, like the kind with trip-hop and Matthew McConaughey.

But no, this shimmering mirage of leisure heralds the arrival of the Absolutely Fabulous movie, a big-screen continuation of the popular BBC comedy series about the often chemically-altered misadventures of two lovable, fame-grubbing hangers-on. PR flack Edina Monsoon (writer/creator Jennifer Saunders) and her partner-in-crime Patsy Stone (Joanna Lumley) fill their days with deadly serious mixed drinks, futile attempts to insert themselves into exclusive social situations, and other sitcom-ready embarrassments. The film rejoins Edina and Patsy for the first time since their reunion special on TV in 2012, and though the trailer embedded above doesn’t give too much of an impression as to what this film will actually be about, the official press release confirms that the two women will find themselves at the center of a “media firestorm” in their feature debut.

Conceived as a daft satire on the vapidity of celebrity and a critique of the bottomfeeders muscling their way in, Absolutely Fabulous (or as its known to its cultlike fanbase, Ab Fab) has remained near and dear to the hearts of its faithful viewership. With a Baywatch reboot not far off and new announcements to this effect running every day, it seems as if any TV show can get a second life at the movies. But it’s a little more refreshing when it’s something as individual and consistently funny as Absolutely Fabulous. The film will premiere in the U.K. on July 21, with a U.S. run to follow at an undetermined point afterward.