The Reel Review
A newly widowed food author/influencer invites four friends from different phases of her life to a weekend getaway in Nantucket, where old grudges and hidden truths surface, forcing a reassessment of their respective relationships. Jennifer Garner, Regina Hall, Chloë Sevigny, D’Arcy Carden and Gemma Chan star in this dramatic series adapted from Elin Hilderbrand’s 2023 novel.
At first glance, it’s easy to assume that The Five Star Weekend is another treacly, white woman-targeted production more commonly found on the Hallmark or Lifetime networks. And while the series does have a lot of schmaltz, where it differs is in how it honestly explores the various mistakes people make and how it impacts their relationships. Garner is Hollis Shaw, a popular, Martha Stewart type who glosses over major life problems by creating foodie fantasies. Sevigny is Tatum, the childhood bestie turned insecure curmudgeon who has a grudge against Hollis and her college friend Dru-Ann (Hall), a take-charge sports agent currently being cancelled online. Carden (A League of Their Own) is Brooke, the overly chatty, younger mom friend stuck in a bad marriage. Chan’s Gigi is Hollis’ new online buddy, who it turns out has a huge secret that you can probably figure out in just one guess. It’s THAT predictable.
That said, the eight-episode series also has some surprising twists to keep it interesting. Solid performances from its ensemble cast, in particular Garner and Sevigny, help gen-up a surprising amount of interest in seeing what will happen to each character. The series focuses on the real-life problems real-life people face – how to process grief, when to switch careers or leave a bad marriage, how to cope with a life-threatening illness, and how to trust in yourself – just set to a gorgeous backdrop with gorgeous food that looks curated from the pages of Bon Appétit. The drama hits a crescendo in its final episode, as the series admirably refuses to wrap itself up in a hokey, unrealistic bow of an ending.
REEL FACTS
• Jennifer Garner and Timothy Olyphant also played love interests in the very similarly themed 2006 romantic dramedy Catch and Release.
• Lifelong friends Jennifer Garner and Judy Greer, or JG and JG as they affectionately call each other, also co-starred in 2023’s The Last Thing He Told Me, 2014’s Men, Women and Children and 2004’s 13 Going on 30.
• The Five Star Weekend was filmed in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
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