Writer(s): Lauryn Kahn
Starring: Gillian Jacobs, Vanessa Bayer, Phoebe Robinson and Richard Madden
After wading through a bunch of corny holiday rom-coms, sometimes it’s refreshing to clear our palates with some less family-oriented fare. And after searching through Netflix for what felt like an eternity, we stumbled upon Ibiza: Drunk Love, which is certainly one of the worst titles ever thrown together by modern man.*
First things first, the movie was the center of controversy upon its release, but it has nothing to do with the film's occasional gross-out content: Instead, the actual island of Ibiza itself took offense to two things: 1.) The film's "negative" portrayal of the party island (there's honestly nothing negative about it, unless they just want to distance themselves from the whole "party image" entirely); and 2.) The fact that it wasn't filmed in Ibiza at all, but rather Croatia. I have a feeling their anger was actually a fit of jealousy that mainly arose from point number 2. Nevertheless, it seems to be all water under the bridge, because after news reports that the island was actually going to sue Netflix for the above reasons, no further action seems to have been taken. (Or could it just have been publicity for the then-newly released movie? Hmm....)
Harper is a twenty- or early thirtysomething gal who is sent by her boss to Spain, for work. Her two best friends, Leah and Nikki, pretty much weasel their way in to going with her, figuring they can chill while Harper is busy securing an account, or whatever vague thing she’s supposed to be doing there. It really doesn't matter, because the focus isn’t on her job (surprise!) but rather Leo West, a world-famous DJ with whom Harper spends an awkward moment.
There are immediate sparks between the two, who go their separate ways before sharing so much as even a kiss. Nevertheless, the seeds of love have been planted in Harper’s mind, so she vows to track him down once again so they can push their platonic friendship into boyfriend-girlfriend territory. Her friends are there to offer moral support, and of course, comedic moments, as the three get into all sorts of trouble involving “residual jizz”, hallucinogens, and plenty of stuff in between.
I’m honestly confused with all the hate leveled its way. Sure, it’s a by-the-numbers “love” story that sometimes sinks to crude depths to gain a laugh or two, and sure said laughs are largely predictable, but it’s rare that a cast comes together with this much chemistry. And no, I’m not talking about the interplay between Harper and Leo, which is “sweet”, but not really worth the time spent “harping” on it. (Get it? Her name is Harper, haha.)
Instead, I’m talking about the combination of Gillian Jacobs, Phoebe Robinson and Vanessa Bayer, who play Harper, Leah and Nikki, respectively, and whose friendship actually spans most of the movie’s running time. In fact, the “romantic” portion almost functions as bookends, with the two would-be lovebirds forging a connection early on, and then Harper spending the rest of the time searching for Leo, until they are reunited in the end. Instead, it mostly comes off as a "buddy comedy" with some "romance" sprinkled in in an attempt to capture the attention of a wider audience. It should come as no surprise, then, that the best parts of the movie involve watching the three girls make fools of themselves in a variety of weird situations.
Michaela Watkins is also perfect as Harper’s foul-mouthed boss, whose brutal quips frequently go over the edge from merely being “mean”, into flat-out abusive. Yet she does it with such ridiculous verve that it’s almost hard not to “like” her, somehow...deep down, maybe. It’s just a shame she’s not in it much after an initial appearance in the beginning, although there are plenty of laughs in between to prevent you from missing her too much.
Let’s be honest here: This is nowhere close to a classic comedy. It’s crude, it’s rude and it derives much of its laughs from predictable situations. But thanks to the cast, it’s an above-average one, with excellent moments of comedic timing and enough laughs to keep most comedy fans satisfied. Like most films of its ilk, it does delve into dramatics occasionally, but thankfully those moments are few and far between; so few and distanced, in fact, that it honestly seems weird to even include the whole love angle at all. (It was based on the writer's actual trip to the island, so maybe she actually did find true love there? I dunno.)
In the end, if it’s a romance you’re looking for, you’d be better off looking elsewhere. But if you like your comedy awkward and occasionally over-the-top, then ignore all the negative reviews, and take this trip to Ibiza...for some Drunk Love? I still don't get that stupid title.
RATING: 6/10.
*For reasons unknown, the title was originally just the much better Ibiza. In fact, that's still the title in a vast majority of marketing materials, such as the above poster image. For whatever reason, at some point after the movie's release, the Drunk Love subtitle was added, a change that makes sense for virtually no reason, considering the "romance" centering the story has nothing to do with being drunk.
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