Arts & Entertainment

Feature-length treatments of ‘Looking,’ ‘AbFab’ are fluffy summer entertainment

Cast reunions of hit gay shows work in longer format

Published

10 years ago

July 22, 2016

The cast of ‘Looking: the Movie’ are, from left, Jonathan Groff as Patrick, Murray Bartlett as Dom and Frankie J. Alvarez as Agustin. (Photo courtesy HBO)

This weekend, two television shows with large and passionate LGBT fan bases make the leap from 30-minute episodes to feature-length movies. In both cases, fans of the series will be thrilled to see their favorites again, but newcomers will still be able to follow along and join in the laughs and the tears.

With some clever writing, “Looking: the Movie” introduces (or reintroduces) the characters with great warmth and efficiency. Thirty-year old video game designer Patrick (Jonathan Groff) is returning to San Francisco after a nine-month hiatus. Through some chatter with the cab driver, dinner with his bffs Agustín (Frankie J. Alvarez) and Dom (Murray Bartlett) and a quick tryst with the cute Jimmy (Michael Rosen), Patrick and his friends quickly bring everyone up to speed.

They are soon joined by series regulars Doris and Malik (Lauren Weedman and Bashir Salahuddin), Richie and Brady (Raúl Castillo and Chris Perfetti) and Eddie (Daniel Franzese) for a moving wedding (no spoilers here); a wild reception fueled by drugs, alcohol and angry recriminations; and, of course, a sentimental finale at an all-night diner. There are no big surprises, but there are no major disappointments either, just a welcome sense of closure as the characters heal old wounds and move forward into the photogenic sunrise.

Working with series creator and writer Michael Lannan, show runner/writer/director Andrew Haigh (best known for the films “Weekend” and “45 Years”) seems far more comfortable working in a feature-length format. Where the individual episodes of the series often felt clunky and uneven, the movie feels more assured. The pacing is comfortable, the exposition and dialogue feel natural and unforced (even if sometimes a little clichéd), the acting is solid and the cinematography is lovely, a heart-felt Valentine to the environs of San Francisco.

The weakest element of the television movie will remind detractors of the weakest moments of the series: toxic relationships and repetitive discussions of them. Patrick’s uninteresting, unpleasant and unrealistic sexual relationship with is boss Kevin (Russell Tovey) clogged up the series and now weighs down the movie. Just as the HR department should have shut down the liaison between supervisor and subordinate, Haigh should have written off Kevin in a few lines. The time would have been better spent elsewhere.

The strongest element of the television movie will remind fans of the most exciting moments of the series: its bold presentation of gay male intimacy and sexuality. On his first night back in the city, Patrick goes home with the charming Jimmy (Rosen is a real find). They have sex (Patrick has finally gotten over some of his hang-ups in the bedroom) and afterwards talk into the night over reheated Chinese food. It’s a lovely sequence, full of sizzling eroticism and deep connection, both in and out of the bedroom.

On the other hand, the ladies of “Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie” need little introduction. They’re archetypal clowns, with roots back to Aristophanes and Shakespeare. Jennifer Saunders (screenwriter and star) quickly reestablishes the characters and their new scenario. Patsy Stone (Joanna Lumley) is still a fashion editor with rather undefined responsibilities. She’s the same as ever: tall, blond, acerbic and short on cash.

Edina Monsoon (Saunders) faces tougher circumstances. Her PR firm is floundering, and she can barely wrangle her eccentric menagerie. The regulars are back: Julia Sawalha as Edina’s straight-laced daughter Saffy, June Whitfield as her sharp-tongued Mother, and Jane Horrocks as her delightfully ditzy assistant Bubble. This time there’s also Saffy’s daughter Lola (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) and Edina’s hairdresser Christopher (Chris Colfer).

To revive her flagging fortunes, Edina decides to enlist Kate Moss as a client. Unfortunately, she accidentally pushes the supermodel into the Thames. To escape the paparazzi and the police, and to find rich husbands, Patsy and Edina flee to the Riviera for more champagne-fueled hijinks.

But, the plot is really just a framework for sight gags and celebrity cameos, and the movie provides lots of both. Saunders and Lumley are both gifted comedic actors; their physical comedy is as sharp as their delivery of zingers and dizzy rants. Celebrity sightings, for those who are playing Ab Fab bingo, include both Dame Edna Everage and Barry Humphries, Mo Gaffney, Rebel Wilson, Graham Norton, Jon Hamm, Joan Collins, Stella McCartney, Perez Hilton, Jean-Paul Gaultier and the very funny Jerry Hall.

There’s even dozens of delightful drag queens who help Saffy track down her missing mother and daughter. If the energy ever drops, and it does from time to time, don’t worry, sweetie darling. There’s another outrageous outfit or another name to drop around the corner.

Both “Looking” and “Absolutely Fabulous” make the move from series to showcase with considerable skill and style. Fans will find plenty to enjoy; haters will find plenty to hate; and, newcomers will quickly catch on. Depending on your mood, both “Absolutely Fabulous: the Movie” and “Looking: the Movie” are a find way to spend a summer evening.

“Looking: The Movie” premieres on July 23 on HBO. “Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie” opens everywhere on July 22.

Absolutely Fabulous, gay news, Washington Blade

Joanna Lumley, on left, as Patsy, and Jennifer Saunders as Eddy star in ‘Absolutely Fabulous: the Movie.’ (Photo courtesy Fox Searchlight)

Up Next

Cleveland mayor signs transgender rights bill

Don't Miss

NBA pulls All-Star Game from N.C.

FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM

Books

New book reveals what we can learn from animal sex

‘Poking the Squid’ on homosexuality, gender swapping, and more

Published

3 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Terri Schlichenmeyer

(Book cover image courtesy W.W. Norton)

‘Poking the Squid: What We Can Learn from Animal Sex’
By Perrin Roosevelt Ireland
c.2026, W.W. Norton
$29.99 241 pages

Birds do it.

According to Cole Porter, bees do, too, but it’s not exactly what he imagined. Wild and tame, avians, insects, and mammals all have sex – although not always as you’ve been told or for reasons you might think. Even educated fleas do it and, as in the new book, “Poking the Squid” by Perrin Roosevelt Ireland, humans can learn from them all.

If you read through scientific papers on animal reproduction, you might notice something unusual: for scientists, the word “sex” means a lot of different things.

Says Ireland, “It’s used to describe behaviors, biology, life histories, and more.”

That might be because animals are not simply binary.

Take, for instance, hyenas. It’s easy for the casual observer to mistake a male hyena for a female and vice versa because of stereotypes of anatomy. Mating, for hyenas, requires subordination for the male and a nifty trick on the part of the female’s body to get things done.

Our feathered friends are no birdbrains, either: black-browed albatrosses were once thought to be monogamous but global warming seems to have changed their nesting habits sometimes. Male flamingos have sex with one another, as a territorial thing; other birds and animals form same-sex pairs for other reasons.

The Chinese mantis eats her mate after fertilization. Female snakes, alpacas, guinea pigs, and monkeys are anatomically able to enjoy sex. Genitalia between species varies quite a bit; in fact, the vaginas of ducks “are highly complex.” Lionesses will mate up to 100 times when in heat. Female damselflies will change into a “third sex” to avoid overly aggressive mating males. Bearded dragons can change their sex, if needed, as can yellow clown goby fish. And seahorse pregnancy and birth sparked a book banning in Tennessee.

So, asks Ireland, if animals, including us, vary so much in biology and life, “… why are we using the word sex like it means something, anything, consistent?!”

Pick up “Poking the Squid,” page through it a few seconds, and you’ll see that the information here is largely told through cartoon-like drawings mixed with captions. It seems to be something on the lighter side, but don’t let that artwork fool you.

Author Perrin Roosevelt Ireland offers readers solid information that cozies up to the scholarly, with hard science, philosophy, feminism, and quotations from researchers to support it, thus furthering the narrative and hitting the points squarely. If you see the art and expect something lighthearted, comic, and small-talk-worthy, you could be disappointed.

On the other hand, if you want solid, wryly serious facts, you’re in for a treat.

There’s lots of learning to be gleaned here, and some slight nudge-wink whimsy to emphasize the absurdity of wrong-headed thinking. This can make readers feel like they’re in-the-know on the jokes, and the playfulness balances the seriousness of the information well.

So, serious, scholarly, or slightly silly, none of these are negative but you’re going to know what you want from a book like this. For the right reader, someone in the mood, “Poking the Squid” is wild.

The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.