Spoiler alert! Minor spoilers ahead for The Five Star Weekend, all of which can be streamed with a Peacock subscription.
OK, I’m a little late to the Nantucket girls’ weekend that Jennifer Garner’s Hollis is throwing for her friends on The Five Star Weekend. The book-to-screen adaptation of Elin Hilderbrand’s novel hit the 2026 TV schedule in July, but now that I’ve finally hit play, I am absolutely relishing it. It’s honestly been a struggle not to binge all eight episodes at once, with each ending on a cliffhanger titillating enough to make me want to forgo all of my adulting responsibilities. There’s one thing, though, that’s giving me a little anxiety.
The Tension Between Two Of Hollis’ Friends Is So Triggering To Me
Of all the drama happening in Hollis’ life — i.e., her husband dying six months ago and her fraught relationship with her daughter — I am finding it really interesting to see how Jennifer Garner’s character interacts with each of her four friends who come from different phases of her life.
There’s her childhood friend Tatum (Chloë Sevigny), her college bestie Dru-Ann (Regina Hall), her fellow mom buddy Brooke (D'Arcy Carden) and one of her followers from social media, Gigi (Gemma Chan). Right off the bat, we’re made aware of tension between Dru and Tatum, who don’t like each other and have different ideas of how to help Hollis deal with her loss.
It’s such an interesting idea to explore female friendship in such a way, because the friends you form at each of these different periods of your life are unique. One friendship may not be stronger or weaker than another, but they’re all different, and that’s such a breeding ground for insecurity.
I Empathized With Dru-Ann And Tatum’s Insecurities
As I watched The Five Star Weekend, my mind flashed back to the discomfort I’ve felt in similar situations. Every time Dru and Tatum bumped heads, my heart ached a little. I understood Tatum’s pain of having to accept that Hollis wasn’t the same person she grew up with and may have more in common with other women now. I felt Dru-Ann’s struggles about not knowing Hollis during those formative years she had with Tatum.
The fact that they had personal drama only added to it, with Dru having insulted Tatum at Hollis’ wedding. It’s always a wedding, isn’t it? That’s where your worlds tend to collide, and while Bridesmaids underscored that tension between old and new friends in a brilliantly hilarious way, The Five Star Weekend made me process those emotions with notably less food poisoning involved.
I can see why reviews said The Five Star Weekend is better than The Perfect Couple — another Elin Hilderbrand adaptation — because these characters are much more relatable. I’m so glad that a second season has been ordered, despite this being a standalone book, because I have loved diving into these friendships — even if some aspects have forced me to confront my own insecurities.
All eight episodes of The Five Star Weekend are streaming now on Peacock.
