Ibiza

Ibiza follows Gillian Jacobs’ Harper as she’s sent to Spain on a work assignment by her imperious boss (Michaela Watkins’ Sarah), with the trip taking on a far more relaxed vibe after Harper’s two best friends (Phoebe Robinson’s Leah and Vanessa Bayer’s Nikki) insist on coming along – with the trio’s decision to travel to the title locale, where Harper is hoping to track down a DJ (Richard Madden’s Leo) she has a crush on, paving the way for a second half focused on their continuing, mostly drunken and/or stoned exploits. Filmmaker Alex Richanbach delivers a basically watchable yet entirely forgettable post-Bridesmaids comedy that leans heavily on the improvised shenanigans of its stars, as Ibiza‘s decidedly shaggy narrative lurches from one freewheeling set-piece to the next with little thought towards momentum or escalation – which results in a hit-and-miss atmosphere that is, at least, frequently alleviated by the various actors’ charming work (and it doesn’t hurt, certainly, that there’s palpable chemistry between Jacobs and Madden’s respective figures). It’s just as apparent, though, that Richanbach’s refusal to pare down certain sequences, especially a dance-club interlude that seems to go on forever, ultimately diminishes the effectiveness of the picture’s few positive elements, and it’s clear, in the end, that Ibiza mostly comes off as a sketch of an idea that’s awkwardly been stretched out to feature length.

** out of ****

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