Attempting to embellish the Spice Girls with the lightly fantastical-cum-satirical Beatles-movie vibe, Bob Spiers manages only to lamely reiterate that the only phenomena hereabouts is one of packaging. Take off the wrappings and allow the girls to "express" and the fabric breaks down.
It's a flappy, silly, film based around the girls' attempts to be themselves against the tide of popularity and a forthcoming Albert Hall gig. Drop-in cameos and British actorly support (Richard E Grant, Claire Rushbrook) ham for all their worth, but the overwhelming sensation is the curiously asexual, ordinariness of the central quintet. Where you expected irritating, smug or excitable, the shock here is sheer dullness.
Couple that with a truly derisory (can you call it acting) performance from Victoria Beckham and you have something that not only has absolutely no substance to it but also is difficult to watch.
