No, it isn’t. During its time on the tube “Absolutely Fabulous” remained an acquired taste, and those who didn’t get infected during the series’ long run would do well to avoid this feature-length revival, which emulates its giddily, gaudily anarchic tone slavishly, but delivers remarkably few laughs in doing so. Even long-time fans may be ready to jump ship.

The sort-of heroines of the piece are, of course, flamboyant PR agent Edina Monsoon (Jennifer Saunders, who created the series and wrote the screenplay) and her chum Patsy Stone (Joanna Lumley). For ten years the hard-drinking-and-drugging duo messed things up royally on television, and now they return to do likewise on the big screen—bringing along their supporting cast, including Edith’s censorious daughter Saffron (Julia Sawalha), her dotty mother (June Whitfield) and her brainless assistant Bubble (Jane Horrocks). Added to the mix is Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness as Saffron’s teen daughter Lola, and a cascade of guest stars show up in cameos, including Jon Hamm, Joan Collins and Barry Humphries. (Surprisingly enough, the best of them is provided by the usually irritating Rebel Wilson, who keeps her cool as a distinctly unhelpful airline attendant.)

Driving the plot is Eddy’s determination to stay in the game despite increasing age and a dwindling stable of clients—down, it seems, to singer Lulu and Emma Bunton of “Spice Girls” fame (who play themselves). She plans a comeback by signing supermodel Kate Moss, who’s reportedly searching for new representation. To that end Patsy plans a party for tiny designer Huki Muki (played by Janet Tough, a bit of casting that, in a twist that emulates the movie’s embrace of bad taste, has been denounced by some as an example of “yellowface”) where Moss will be present. Eddy tries to use pretty young Lola to wheedle an introduction to Moss, but the scheme ends with the model toppling into the Thames and being presumed drowned. Amid an orgy of worldwide grief, Eddy is on the verge of being charged with murder, so she and Patsy flee to Cannes for refuge.

There the picture careens into full-fledged chaos as the duo seek out old friends, Patsy feigns being a man in order to marry a wealthy dowager (never has “Some Like It Hot” served less successfully as a model—down to a flat final punch line), and chases along the Riviera coast ensue. Everybody shows up for the party, including Saffron, her new boyfriend (a gawky police detective), Lola, Eddy’s mother, Bubble (who had been thought dead) and, of course, a reborn Moss, who, thanks to the whole mess, is more popular than ever (not to mention Monsoon’s newest client).

The whole point of the movie, of course, is to celebrate the dippy irresponsibility of Eddy and Patsy, and it certainly delivers in that regard, thanks to the intentionally sloppy performances of Saunders and Lumley. In the process, of course, any hint of structure and wit go by the boards. Nothing is allowed to stand in the way of antic chaos of a kind that resembles the comic stylings of somebody like Benny Hill rather than sophisticated British satire. Some will find the result an exhilarating reunion with fondly remembered friends, but most are likely to cringe rather than laugh.

The movie is a deliberately garish affair, with Rebecca Hale’s outlandish costumes leading the way but Harry Banks’ production desjgn, Laura Richardson’s set decoration and Chris Goodger’s cinematography not far behind. One sympathizes with the trio of editors—Anthony Boys, Gavin Buckley and Billy Sneddon—who were tasked with pulling what must have been a complete shambles of raw footage into a semblance of order. That they don’t succeed is hardly their fault.

Early on in “Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie,” Eddy tries to sell her autobiography to a publisher, who notes that Bubble has typed most of her dictation as pages simply reading “blah, blah, blah”—shades of “The Shining”! He remarks sagely, “Your life may be worth living, but it isn’t worth reading.” This movie about her isn’t worth seeing, either.