Touts

Reality isn’t always on offer in “The Hangover” writers and “Bad Moms” filmmakers Jon Lucas and Scott Moore’s latest chaotic comedy. Wild high-jinks unfold at a steady clip, and our stars behave badly, frequently, in front of stone-faced background actors who never bat an eyelash, even when four middle-aged women are staging a full brawl in the middle of a luxury beachside hotel lobby. No one seems bothered that nearly everyone has an Aussie accent, despite this film ostensibly unfolding 100 miles away from Los Angeles (the film was shot in Queensland). And, for all the glitz and glamour of said luxury beachside hotel, no one ever even mentions going into the ocean.

And yet, Lucas and Scott aren’t afraid of occasionally dipping into not just realistic problems, but heavier ones, too. Their gals are snorting lines of blow and humping male strippers one minute, attempting to unpack their deep-seated anger and need for therapy the next. Their “Bad Moms” films tread similar paths: wacky comedic set pieces interspersed with genuinely heartfelt ruminations about how hard it is to be a modern woman run ragged by the demands of “having it all.”

Fans of those films (including this writer, who almost forgot how much she liked the first film) will surely enjoy this one, which also boasts an extremely talented (and quite game) all-star cast, including Leslie Mann, Isla Fisher, Michelle Buteau, and Anna Faris. That central foursome hold “Spa Weekend” together, even when it goes, often worryingly, off the rails. A relaxing trip to the spa this is not, which was presumably the quick pitch that got this baby rolling to begin with. What if mud baths, but also mayhem? Your milage will vary based on how that concept lands with you.

Introduced via a Mann-led voiceover, we’re shown the gals’ early years together, with their tight-knit friendship beginning in middle school. That’s also where their personalities were seemingly sealed in amber, and when we pick back up with them in middle age, their major defining characteristics have only become more pronounced. (One hanging question, however, is exactly how and when Fisher’s wild child Mel became the group’s punching bag, not just its most unpredictable member.)

At a slim 97 minutes, the film’s script (also by Lucas and Moore) doesn’t have much room for those bigger backstories or to fill any yawning gaps. Instead, the story relies on putting each of its women in a designated box: Mann’s Jane is the workaholic with too many commitments (and we will never learn what happened to her never-mentioned ex), Faris’ Sophie is a human doormat at the mercy of her moronic boss (she has a family, but they’re never seen and only referred to broadly as “my husband” or “my son”), and Fisher’s Mel is a crazy person (full stop, any deeper exploration of her neuroses and pathologies is not to be found here). Buteau’s Coco makes off with a bit more meat on the bone, though her messy divorce, complicated relationship with her ex, and profound rage are too often leaned on as our Big! Dramatic! Storyline!

While Jane, Sophie, and Coco have stayed tight, Mel is in the wind, which makes the trio’s decision to splash out on a very necessary luxury weekend for Jane’s birthday, sans Mel, all the easier. Too bad then that Sophie is such a softie, secretly inviting the whirling dervish to their two days of rest and relaxation. When Mel arrives, all hell breaks loose, but at least the perpetually charming Fisher is up for the task of playing someone who is both completely annoying and totally winning.

Jane, Sophie, and Coco might have been looking for an easy weekend, but Mel is hellbent on making it a wild one. Here she is propositioning handsome yoga instructor Kai (Adam Demos) for Jane, there she is screeching at Sophie’s deranged boss (and getting her fired in the process). She even cooks up a scheme to get Coco’s ex-husband Roger (Dominic Ona-Ariki) into the mix. There are strippers to order, coke to snort, and a goat yoga experience to really fuck up. Every other guest of the resort should get a full refund, post-haste.

But what does that matter in the wilds of such nutty comedy? Moore and Lucas are weirdly tuned into that question, however, as the film also builds in a subplot about the resort’s “general manager/guru” Shanti (Erika Heynatz) doing her damndest to evict the world’s worst guests, with some actual consequences, sorta. But that blend of raucous laughs (OK, well, some raucous laughs, some mere attempts at them) and real world concerns makes for an uneasy watch, ping-ponging between moods and tones in unpredictable ways.

Always reliable, however, is the star power on offer here. Mann, Fisher, Buteau, and Faris make for not only funny foils for each other (and they all excel at those aforementioned personality boxes), but also believable life-long friends, with all the fraught undercurrents that implies. Even when they’re doing the wackiest things imaginable — stealing golf carts and saving out-of-date computer operating systems, vigorously riding strippers and slapping each other in public spaces, and more outrageously weird vignettes, oh my — they’re wonderfully watchable and genuinely hilarious together. They just deserve a better movie to contain them.

Grade: C

Black Bear will release “Spa Weekend” in theaters on Friday, August 21.

Dave Bautista has closed his deal to play Kratos in Prime Video’s God of War fantasy drama series.

Series co-studios Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Television reached out to Bautista and initiated talks shortly after they made a decision to recast the role following original lead Ryan Hurst’s serious on-set injury.

As Deadline reported, Hurst, who had been originally set as Kratos in the adaptation of the popular PlayStation video game, tore a bicep while performing a stunt in late June, four months into the shoot.

Bautista’s casting signals a possible different approach to the character of Kratos, which has been the subject of intense online discourse following the first-look image released in February.

Prep begins this month for a mid-October production start in Vancouver where the show is based. The shoot is starting from scratch. Emmy-winning director Frederick E.O. Toye (Shōgun, The Boys, Fallout), who directed the first two episodes with Hurts, will do the same for the reshoot.

That leaves little time for Bautista to get ready to play the physically demanding role but his extensive background as a professional wrestler is expectted to kick in, along with the work he had done recently for his role in the new Highlander movie, which required him to bulk up.

The ancient mythology-themed God of War, from writer, executive producer and showrunner Ronald D. Moore, began filming in February in Vancouver on a two-season order with the seasons slated to film back-to-back, which remains the plan.

God of War follows father and son Kratos (Bautista) and Atreus (Callum Vinson) as they embark on a journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye. Through their adventures, Kratos tries to teach his son to be a better god, while Atreus tries to teach his father how to be a better human.

The titular character of the entire franchise, Kratos is Spartan by birth, and a god by nature. Raised in a martial culture, he rose to command armies in service of his homeland until one day he made a fateful deal with Ares, the Greek God of War and lost his soul in exchange for being victorious in battle. Over the course of ten wildly successful games, Kratos vanquished mortals, creatures and gods alike. In the process, he became an iconic character in pop culture, known for his stoic nature, unchallenged combat skills, and tragic past. In God of War, the live action series, his story will closely follow the path of the last two games as he deals with something new: his ten year old son Atreus. This father and son dynamic began a whole new chapter in the legendary series and will be the heartbeat of the new show.

The cast also includes Mandy Mandy Patinkin as Odin, Ed Skrein as Baldur, Max Parker as Heimdall, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Thor, Teresa Palmer as Sif, Alastair Duncan as Mimir, Jeff Gulka as Sindri, Danny Woodburn as Brok, Sonya Walger as Freya, Island Austin as Thrud, Ben Chapple as Magni, Louis Cunningham as Modi, and Evelyn Miller as Gna.

God of War is co-produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios in association with PlayStation Productions and Moore’s Tall Ship Productions. In addition to Moore, executive producers include Maril Davis, Cory Barlog, Naren Shankar, Matthew Graham, Asad Qizilbash, Jeff Ketcham, Hermen Hulst, Roy Lee and Brad Van Arragon. Joe Menosky, Marc Bernardin, Tania Lotia and Ben McGinnis co-executive produce.

This marks only the second series-regular role for Bautista following Season 2 of the Apple TV drama See. It reteams him with Amazon MGM Studios after starring alongside Jason Momoa in the film The Wrecking Crew this year and opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in the upcoming Road House 2.

Bautista has several other movies coming up, Alpha Gang, which premieres at the Toronto Film Festival; the animated Ally; and Highlander. He is repped by WME and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.

Another year, another Jason Statham action vehicle.

Statham stars in “Mutiny,” a new bloody and brutal flick from Jean-François Richet releases on Friday. Written by Lindsay Michel and J. P. Davis, the film sees Statham’s ex-marine Cole Reed, accused of a crime he didn’t commit, boarding a boat to get vengeance and clear his name.

But where can you watch Statham’s latest action romp, and is the boat-based beat-em-up flick streaming? Read on to find out.

When does “Mutiny” come out?

“Mutiny” releases in theaters on Friday, Aug. 21. You can find screenings of the film below.

AMC

Atom

Fandango

Regal Cinemas

Is “Mutiny” streaming?

No, “Mutiny” will not release on any streaming services on Friday. It is currently unclear when it will stream. Lionsgate currently has a deal with Amazon’s Prime Video, so that’s likely where you’ll find it streaming first when the time comes.

What is “Mutiny” about?

“After witnessing his billionaire boss’s murder and being framed for the crime, Cole Reed (Jason Statham) boards a cargo ship on a one-man crusade to avenge his boss’ death, only to discover an international conspiracy,” a synopsis from Lionsgate reads.

Are there any other new Jason Statham action movies?

There are always new Jason Statham action movies.

Earlier this year, Statham starred in “Shelter,” directed by Ric Roman Waugh and written by Ward Parry. That film, which sees Statham as a former MI6 assassin trying to keep a young girl safe from his former agency, is currently streaming on Starz and available for digital rental on other platforms.

The past two years saw Statham lead a duo of action flicks directed by David Ayer: “A Working Man” (2025) and “The Beekeeper” (2024). Those are both streaming on Prime Video now.

Next year, Statham will return as assassin Adam Clay in “The Beekeeper 2,” with Timo Tjahjanto taking over for Ayer as director. He will also play himself in David Leitch and Alison Flierl’s action comedy “Jason Statham Stole My Bike.”

Watch the trailer:

“Mutiny” releases in theaters nationwide on Friday, Aug. 21.