From the new Absolutely Fabulous movie to Zoolander 2,Ryan Gilbey reflects on what separates the unforgettable star turns from the excruciating B-list cash-insIn her BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, Jennifer Saunders was never late to rope in famous chums to add an in-jokey authenticity to her portrait of the fag-halt of the tall life. The forthcoming movie version promises to be a similar model of celebrity democracy, and with a cast that runs from A-list to Z-list. Where else would you find Kate Moss rubbing shoulders with Judith Chalmers? Or Alexa Chung and Daisy Lowe cosying up to Christopher Biggins? whether a bomb had dropped on set,it would have been goodbye to Hello! magazine. Heat might have frozen over.
No big-budget comedy is complete until the producers have milked their contacts book dry for star cameos. Overkill was portion of the gag in the third Austin Powers film (Tom Cruise, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kevin Spacey,Steven Spielberg) and the second Anchorman (Will Smith, Marion Cotillard, and Liam Neeson,Kanye West). But this trick had worn lean by the time of Zoolander 2. A devilishly comical opening sequence shows Justin Bieber being gunned down; he reaches for his phone, takes a selfie, and selects a filter,posts it on Instagram – and then expires. The the rest of the film suggested that its makers had inserted a star cameo whenever inspiration was flagging. Unfortunately, Anna Wintour and Susan Boyle proved to be no substitute for decent jokes.
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Source: theguardian.com