Photo: Emma McIntyre / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images
If you're heading to the movies this weekend, your choices range from a girls' trip gone wildly wrong to Jason Statham on a cargo ship and Andrew Garfield hanging out with fairies.
‘Spa Weekend’
Put Leslie Mann, Isla Fisher, Michelle Buteau and Anna Faris together at a luxury resort and absolutely nothing is going to be relaxing.
Spa Weekend comes from Bad Moms filmmakers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore and has a similar anything-goes energy. Four longtime friends head off for some much-needed rest and relaxation, only for the weekend to spiral into strippers, drugs, goat yoga, fights and plenty of questionable decisions.
The real reason to see this one is the cast. Mann, Fisher, Buteau and Faris are all naturally funny performers, and their chemistry makes these women feel like friends who have known and annoyed each other for decades.
Fisher gets some of the biggest moments as Mel, the unpredictable friend who can turn practically any situation into a disaster.
The movie also tries to sneak some real-life issues underneath all the chaos — burnout, divorce, friendship and the pressure women feel to keep everything together. Not every emotional turn lands, but there are enough laughs to keep the getaway moving.
The takeaway: If you liked Bad Moms and want a silly, raunchy girls' night movie, Spa Weekend could be just the escape you're looking for.
Photo: Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images
‘Tony’
Before Anthony Bourdain became the chef, writer and world traveler we all knew, he was a cocky 19-year-old who thought he was going to become the next great American novelist.
Tony takes us back to the summer of 1975, when a young Bourdain, played by The Holdovers breakout Dominic Sessa, lands in Provincetown, Massachusetts, chasing a girl and trying to figure out what he's doing with his life.
Instead, he gets a job washing dishes.
And we know how that story turns out.
Sessa reportedly captures a lot of what made Bourdain so fascinating: the swagger, humor and charisma, but also the insecurity and self-destructive streak underneath it all.
Antonio Banderas is also a standout as “Chef,” the mentor who gives Tony his first real glimpse inside the chaotic, addictive world of restaurant kitchens. Leo Woodall plays another coworker who introduces him to some of the more dangerous temptations that come with it.
What makes Tony especially interesting is that it doesn't try to tell Bourdain's entire life story. It's about that moment when you're young and convinced your life is heading in one direction — only to stumble into the thing that changes everything.
And knowing where Bourdain's life eventually went gives some of those moments an extra layer of poignancy.
‘Mutiny’
Jason Statham. Cargo ship. Bad guys.
You probably already know whether you're in.
In Mutiny, Statham plays Cole Reed, a former British Marine working as a bodyguard for a wealthy shipping magnate. When his boss is murdered, Reed goes looking for answers aboard one of the company's freighters.
Cue the guns, knives, shady characters and Statham finding creative ways to hurt people.
The movie doesn't move quite as quickly as you might expect from a Statham action vehicle, but there are still flashes of the bruising action his fans came to see. One memorable encounter involving a giant padlock proves almost anything can become a weapon when Jason Statham is holding it.
At just 95 minutes, this is straightforward action-movie territory without asking much from the audience.
The takeaway: Mutiny is for Statham loyalists looking for an uncomplicated action fix. He's on a boat. He's angry. People are going to regret bothering him.
Photo: Michael Loccisano / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images
‘The Magic Faraway Tree’
For something completely different, there's The Magic Faraway Tree, a colorful family fantasy based on Enid Blyton's beloved children's books.
Claire Foy and Andrew Garfield play parents who leave London behind and move their family to the countryside. Their kids aren't exactly thrilled — until they discover an enormous magical tree filled with fantastical characters and extraordinary worlds.
And this cast is stacked.
Nicola Coughlan plays a fairy named Silky, with Jessica Gunning, Jennifer Saunders, Rebecca Ferguson, Michael Palin and Lenny Henry among the many familiar faces popping up along the way.
Visually, the movie looks like someone cracked open an enormous pastel storybook. There are elaborate costumes, strange creatures and plenty of unabashed silliness.
Garfield embraces the goofy dad energy while Foy helps keep the family story grounded amid all that magic.
The takeaway: The Magic Faraway Tree is aimed squarely at families — especially younger kids who love colorful, whimsical adventures. Parents nostalgic for old-school British children's stories may find something to enjoy, too.
So, what should you watch?
For a girls' night: Spa Weekend.
For some Jason Statham mayhem: Mutiny.
For a family outing: The Magic Faraway Tree.
Three very different movies, three very different audiences — and thankfully, not a superhero cape in sight.
Don't miss the KFI entertainment report with Heather Brooker on Gary and Shannon every Friday!