Fat Slags (film)

Fat Slags
Fat Slags
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Ed Bye
Written by	William Osborne
Produced by	Charles Finch; Luc Roeg
Starring	Fiona Allen; Sophie Thompson; Jerry O'Connell; Anthony Head; Geri Halliwell; James Dreyfus; Naomi Campbell;
Cinematography	John Sorapure
Edited by	Mark Wybourn
Music by	David A. Hughes
Production; companies	Artists Independent Pictures; Funny Films
Distributed by	Entertainment Film Distributors
Release date	15 October 2004;
Running time	73 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Box office	$105,091

Fat Slags is a 2004 British independent gross out comedy film based on the Viz comic characters of the same name.^[2] Despite the relative popularity of the comic strip (and its celebrity cameos), the film was panned by critics.

Plot

Sandra (Fiona Allen) and Tracey (Sophie Thompson) are two friends who are known as the infamously vulgar and crass Fat Slags. The pair leave their hometown of Fulchester for London, aiming to sleep and drink their way to fame and fortune.

On the day they arrive in London, internationally renowned billionaire Sean Cooley (Jerry O'Connell) suffers a blow to the head that renders him temporarily insane. When he catches Sandra and Tracey on a daytime chat show, he falls for their larger-than-life antics. A media sensation is brought about when Cooley forces fashion designer Fidor Konstantin (James Dreyfus) to base his upcoming collection on the Fat Slags.

Sandra and Tracey take the United Kingdom by storm, hitting #1 in the charts and inadvertently winning the Turner Prize. As far as the press is concerned when fatness becomes a hit. This new trend leads to Cooley's assistant, Paige, gaining major weight. Throughout their journey into the world of fame, the Slags maintain their vulgarity, which coupled with an endearing innocence connects with the British public.

But in private, jealousy drives a wedge between Sandra and Tracey as they vie for Cooley's attention. Only when he regains his mental faculties and turns on the girls that they realize that their friendship is the only real thing they have in their new world.

Cast

Fiona Allen as Sandra "San" Burke
Sophie Thompson as Tracey "Tray" Tunstall
Jerry O'Connell as Sean Cooley
Anthony Head as Victor Lange
Geri Halliwell as Paige
James Dreyfus as Fidor Ulrich Cosimo Konstantin
Naomi Campbell as sales assistant
Angus Deayton as Maurice the hotel receptionist
Hugh Dennis and Steve Punt as immigration officers
Les Dennis as MC
Simon Farnaby as a ventriloquist
Tom Goodman-Hill as Barry "Baz" Askwith
Henry Miller as Dave
Michael Greco as Niarchos
Eamonn Holmes as himself
David Schneider as Tanner
Metin and Timur Ahmet as two waiters
Helen Lederer as a hysterical woman
Ralf Little as a milkman
Ricky Gervais as bouncer
John Thomson as the foreman
Dolph Lundgren as Randy^[3]
Alison King as a receptionist
Shend as a kebab van proprietor

Production

In August 2003, it was announced a feature film adaptation of Fat Slags was slated to begin shooting scheduled 10 August.^[4] Fat Slags was part of a wave of sex comedies slated for production in the U.K. alongside other entries such as Sex Lives of the Potato Men, School for Seduction, and an attempted Carry On revival Carry On London, with the production of the latter soon cancelled.^[4]

Reception

Critical response

Fat Slags was universally panned upon release.^[5] John Plunkett, writing for The Guardian, stated "It has plenty of gross-out stuff, but chucked in with an eerie lack of enjoyment or conviction. Depression seeps out of the screen like carbon monoxide."^[6] Adrian Hennigan for the BBC wrote "This painfully slapdash comedy – with caricatures instead of characters – lurches from one crude, staggeringly inept set-piece to another with the subtlety of a three-legged elephant."^[7] Graham Dury, the comic strip's creator, stated that Rita, Sue and Bob Too was a more accurate live action depiction of the comic book characters,^[8] telling the BBC that he was so appalled by the film, he threatened to stop drawing the strips.^[5] British film historian I.Q. Hunter listed Fat Slags as one of the contenders for worst British film ever made.^[9]

References

^ "Fat Slags". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
^ "Goodbye, Fat Slags". Metro. 19 October 2004. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
^ Ivan-Zadeh, Larushka (16 August 2010). "The Expendables' Dolph Lundgren on his big-screen comeback". Metro. Archived from the original on 29 November 2012.
^ ^a ^b Dawtrey, Adam (3 August 2003). "'Fat Slags' gets Green light; Aardman toons up". Variety. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Viz to drop Fat Slags in protest". BBC News. 19 October 2004. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
^ Plunkett, John (19 October 2004). "Viz gives Fat Slags the elbow". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
^ Hennigan, Adrian (8 October 2004). "Fat Slags". BBC. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
^ Judd, Terri. "Lordy! 'Crass' movie means it's the end of the Fat Slags". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
^ Hunter, I.Q.; Porter, Laraine, eds. (5 April 2012). "From Window Cleaner to Potato Man". British Comedy Cinema. Routledge. p. 154. ISBN 978-0415666671.

External links

Fat Slags at IMDb
Fat Slags at Rotten Tomatoes

[1] "Fat Slags". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 22 June 2022.

[2] "Goodbye, Fat Slags". Metro. 19 October 2004. Retrieved 22 June 2022.

[3] Ivan-Zadeh, Larushka (16 August 2010). "The Expendables' Dolph Lundgren on his big-screen comeback". Metro. Archived from the original on 29 November 2012.

[variety-4] Dawtrey, Adam (3 August 2003). "'Fat Slags' gets Green light; Aardman toons up". Variety. Retrieved 22 June 2022.

[bbc-5] "Viz to drop Fat Slags in protest". BBC News. 19 October 2004. Retrieved 22 June 2022.

[guardian-6] Plunkett, John (19 October 2004). "Viz gives Fat Slags the elbow". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 June 2022.

[7] Hennigan, Adrian (8 October 2004). "Fat Slags". BBC. Retrieved 22 June 2022.

[8] Judd, Terri. "Lordy! 'Crass' movie means it's the end of the Fat Slags". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2022.

[9] Hunter, I.Q.; Porter, Laraine, eds. (5 April 2012). "From Window Cleaner to Potato Man". British Comedy Cinema. Routledge. p. 154. ISBN 978-0415666671.

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