"We can be sexy and ugly, drunk and gross, and still tell a story - just like the men"

A brief investigation into the global film archive will reveal a problematic picture: there aren't too many comedies centered on middle-aged women. And if they are given the lead in such a film, they are usually dealing with a marriage crisis, annoying children, or complexes related to aging and physical changes. In short, too much self-discovery and soul-searching and too few shots of tequila, uninhibited sex, and letting go of all restraints. The film 'Spa Weekend', which hit theaters this weekend, tries to be the X-factor in this equation, and gives four women in their 40s the space to be funny, wild, sexually liberated, and above all, completely irresponsible.

'Spa Weekend' follows three old friends who go on vacation to a luxury spa resort with the goal of disconnecting from their jerk boss, their family, and life in general. On the agenda: pampering massages, alcohol, handsome men, and peace of mind. Everything goes haywire when their fourth, unhinged friend arrives unexpectedly and ruins the entire pampering weekend.

Signing off on the new comedy are John Lucas and Scott Moore, the creators of 'Bad Moms' and the writers of 'The Hangover' — and that should already be a stamp of quality in the sub-genre of the vacation-gone-wrong comedy. But its true driving force lies mainly in the cast. The three friends are played by Anna Faris, Leslie Mann, and Michelle Buteau. Mel, the problematic friend, is played by Isla Fisher. These are four actresses with impressive comedic mileage who were given the chance to go wild on screen like men their age have been doing for many years.

The freedom to be funny, wild, and sexy at an age when Hollywood still tends to present women through crises, aging, and body image was exactly what drew the four actresses to the film. In an interview with mako, Buteau, creator and star of the comedy series 'Survival of the Thickest', says: "I loved that this film didn't require me to try hard. It was just: 'This is how we are, let's go with it.' This is what real women look like. We really love ourselves and our bodies, and we love our friendships, we just don't always have the time. I loved that it felt like real life."

"I loved that as women in a comedy, we didn't have to be likable," adds Fisher, who has already gone wild on screen in films like 'Wedding Crashers', 'Confessions of a Shopaholic', and 'Grimsby'. "We can be sexy and ugly, drunk and gross, and still tell a story, just as male comedians have always had the chance to do."

Mann: "The ability to put everything on the table and show how we really behave as women was very refreshing. We really do all these things. We just don't tell you, men."

So is this really your life? "Most of the time," they all say together, but Fisher is quick to qualify: "Not Mel! That's not Isla. I play a social hand grenade. I don't behave like that in real life."

You Go Girl

On the face of it, it's a bit strange that a film trying to describe years of friendship between middle-aged women was written and directed by two men. But Lucas and Moore already touched on similar topics in 'Bad Moms', and it turns out they didn't arrive at the shoot with a detached feeling that they understand women better than the women in front of them.

The film was written and directed by two men. Were there moments when you had to tell them: Women wouldn't really say or do something like that?

Fisher: "Never. They collaborated with us from the very first moment, and the situation itself is not necessarily gender-dependent. I'm sure the situation where there is one friend in a group who doesn't really fit in also exists in friendships between men. They are amazing supporters of women. They created 'Bad Moms', and they loved us and everything we brought to the film. They are brilliant people and wonderful to work with."

Mann: "And they have smart and wonderful wives. Usually, when you have a very smart wife, you are able to write women well. You get inspired."

Fisher: "It's their appreciation and love for women, for femininity, and for everything we go through and do. At the same time, they also brought their comedic abilities. To get the film to the finish line, in a field where there is still an over-representation of male directors and producers, we needed people who would fight for us. We also had an amazing producer named Susan, who was very involved, understood the process, and supported us throughout."

Anna Faris, who broke through thanks to the 'Scary Movie' films and later starred for seven seasons in the sitcom 'Mom', answers the question in her typical way: "I'm not sure the directors had a choice," she says. "I think we just killed them with laughter from day one. I think we were the only ones who restrained ourselves."

What was the scene you found hardest to film because you couldn't stop laughing?

Buteau: "When Isla sat and ate the burrito, take after take, and just committed completely to everything that was inside it. She didn't even ask what was in it. Just shoved it into her mouth."

Faris: "She almost choked on it. I've never seen anything like it. It was so funny."

Buteau: "Improvising while she's eating a burrito. It was crazy."

Fisher admits that throughout the filming she mainly wanted to impress the three actresses beside her. "I'm someone who needs motivation to try to be funny," she says. "I love these women so much and admire them and just wanted them to think I'm funny. I would write jokes at home, come to the shoot, and pray they would work. I just tried to make them laugh."

"It was like a brilliant live performance every day," adds Faris. "John and Scott knew they were casting four women with a lot of experience. I mainly remember them laughing."

If you really went away together for a weekend at a spa, who would plan the schedule, who would break the hotel rules, and who would disappear to bed at nine in the evening?

Buteau: "Anna would just disappear to bed."

Fisher: "I have to tell something. My room is next to Anna's room at the hotel. At six in the evening, I opened the door, and on her door there was already a 'Do Not Disturb' sign. She had already gone to sleep."

Buteau: "I love to plan. I love to gather everyone and make sure they are satisfied."

Who would get everyone into trouble? According to everyone, it's actually Leslie Mann, who plays the more normal character in the film.

Mann: "I kind of agree with that. Yes, that's me."

Fisher: "Leslie gives the impression that she is very responsible, and she really is very responsible. She is a professional and a brilliant actress, but she is also mischievous."

Buteau: "And you can't say no to Leslie. If she says, 'Let's go up to the roof', she'll just look at you and smile with her eyes. What can you even do?"

'Spa Weekend', although it focuses on the experiences of women, the stars are not quick to define it as a 'women's comedy'. From their point of view, the need to separate women's humor from men's humor is part of the same old perception that the film seeks to dismantle.

What makes a comedy told from a female perspective unique? Are there things that women find funny and that male comedians tend to miss?

Buteau: "In my eyes, comedy is comedy."

Fisher: "It has no biology."

Buteau: "It's like music - music is universal. It doesn't matter how you define yourself: if it makes you want to move, it does its job. That's also what comedy does. It moves you to joy. Laughter is medicine, and we, the actresses, function as a network that connects people."

Fisher agrees, but in the same breath reminds us that the conditions under which women are supposed to be funny are still not equal. "Once we stop accepting the patriarchal values according to which women must be likable and fuckable — sorry — we will be able to express ourselves comedically and compete on equal terms, as we deserve."