Two friends with very different ideals start a beauty company together. One is more practical while the other wants to earn her fortune and live a lavish lifestyle.
Puerto Rican director Miguel Arteta has quite a few films under his belt which includes the highly rated independent film, “Chuck & Buck” in 2000, which he received the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes for. While he seems to have a good grasp on developing films for diverse audiences, it appears that perhaps his limitations have been stretched with this current film which seems to show the power of women sticking together while at the same time emasculating males and giving the art of bullying full access to his world stage.
As the movie opens, lifelong friends Mia (Tiffany Haddish) and Mel (Rose Byrne) appear to be on top of the world with their own Mia & Mel cosmetics company. Along with their totally opposite personalities, they pride themselves on being a small business that hasn’t caved in to fast-paced modernization and cliché-driven power moves. Their biggest asset seems to be how they lean on each other internally for all the support they need. While Mia seems to be overjoyed with their success, Mel has been holding back on the fact that they are deeply in debt and may not be in business in the foreseeable future if they don’t find a way to get over the hump. Local Admirer and Beauty Icon, Clair Luna (Salma Hayek), who is a high-stakes competitor and clearly owns the industry, has sent her frontman to pay the two a visit with an offer to buy a fifty-one percent stake in the business. Mia clearly isn’t interested in the deal and Mel, who is the weaker of the two, is unable to convince Mia to go for the deal. Clair is immediately taken aback and refuses to take no for the answer. While the Mia & Mel staff search internally for answers to their problems, Clair devises a plan to turn the two against one another and take control of what is left in the aftermath. The film takes a nasty turn as Clair, the known bully, and Mia, the perceived bully, go back and forth like snakes in a fire pit. In the end, Clair seems to have been successful in tearing the two apart until the two finally realize they have succumbed to her strategy. Once they recover and apologize to one another, they immediately pull their team back together and get back to their roots while showing Clair who’s really boss.
As far as entertainment goes, this film has quite a bit of humor, albeit a bit uncomfortable. With D-words and P-words flying mercilessly throughout the script, it is painful to gather thoughts into a meaningful storyline that justifies itself, along with the overt bullying and defenseless male roles. For what it is worth, hard life lessons are interspersed and dealt with, and the seemingly powerless characters such as Billy Porter’s and Karan Soni’s, steal the show and give great insight into the mindset of essential personnel.
Now available on Digital HD and on Blu-ray, DVD and On-Demand April 21st
