There comes a time in every great writer's life that they find thierself at a loss for words. Now, I'm not a great writer, and I frequently have difficulty coming up with things to say about a film, but this time is much much different. There isn't really much I can say about Spice World except, "Wha?"
Sitting in the audience of about 50, I noticed that the majority in attendance were pre-teen children accompanied by their parents (most of which, I could tell, did not want to be there. I can imagine their confusion when they saw myself and my friend Ryan - both of us 21 - enter and sit). I did not feel uneasy with my surroundings, in fact being in a theatre of children is the perfect place to make snide remarks throughout the film, 'cause all the kids are talking too.
The film itself was confusing. The Spice people must have known that the majority of their audience would be children seeing the film, yet the entire storyline was not geared towards them. The dialogue was wraught with sexual innuendo, and the semi-parody of the Spice phenomenon is above the young'uns heads. The kids wouldn't know who all the various musical guests were (such as Meatloaf, Bob Geldof, and Elvis Costello), and they surely wouldn't understand Roger Moore's bond villain impersonation. In fact, I think the only thing intended for children was the decidedly tacky music... which seemed to have numbed my brain by the end of the film. As Ryan sarcastically said, "I can feel myself getting dumber."
The only thing that kept me interested in Spice World was my attempt to figure out which Spice Girl isn't... in other words, which one's the man. The rumour's been circulating for some time now that two Spice Bimbos are men, and seeing them constantly on the big screen is the best opportunity to try and confirm or dispel them. It actually was quite fun and I think I found my man...
I didn't really have any hopes or even expectations for Spice World, other than it being crap, however, after watching it I could see that there was a lot of opportunity to turn the movie into a huge, and funny, parody of the Spice Girls phenomenon, and the Spice Girls themselves. Unfortunately, writer (insert name of Absolutely Fabulous actress here) didn't push what parody she had far enough. There also was the potential for that madcap Pythonesque British absurdist humour, but that didn't happen either (it was just dumb). Not recommended for anyone.