Just in time for a little late-summer PTO, Isla Fisher’s new comedy, Spa Weekend, hits theaters August 21. Written and directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore—the duo behind The Hangover—the film follows four lifelong friends who realize that somewhere between careers, relationships, families and everyday responsibilities, they’ve forgotten how to take care of themselves and each other. Burned out and overdue for a break, the women escape to a luxury spa retreat for, as the official synopsis puts it, “an unforgettable weekend dedicated to fun, laughter and a lot of really bad decisions.”
Fisher stars alongside Leslie Mann, Anna Faris and Michelle Buteau, playing Mel, who she describes as the group’s “social hand grenade.” The film was produced by Suzanne Todd, John Friedberg, Teddy Schwarzman and Michael Heimler, and was shot on location in Queensland, Australia—Fisher’s home country.
For Fisher, the appeal went well beyond the script and pit stop at home. “Just being with talent crushes I’ve had for years, being in my home country where I was able to share some nostalgia with them,” she says of what she loved most about the project. “It was also great to work with two fantastic writer/directors who collaborate and support female comedy, have my kids with me and play a character who’s the social hand grenade.”
That sense of ease and reconnection is very much the point of Spa Weekend, and it’s one Fisher relates to off-camera as well. Ask her to describe her own ideal spa day, and the answer hits a very relatable itinerary: “A digital detox, a brilliant deep-tissue massage, my best girlfriends, cocktails and a break from all the responsibilities of life!”
Her definition of a perfect girls’ trip follows the same logic, trading spa-menu specifics for a bit of spontaneity. “A little bit of adventure, preferably a flight or a drive away from the craziness and some gossip cocktails,” she says—proof that, on-screen chaos aside, Fisher’s real recipe for a getaway with friends is refreshingly simple.
