The Inbetweeners Movie review
The boys are back, and they're doing their best to have a great send-off...
The lads' holiday has always been a great source of humour/horror for those wishing to expose the seedy underbelly of Britain’s youth. We’ve had films about it (Kevin and Perry Go Large), BBC3 ‘documentaries’ about it (Sun, Sea and Suspicious Parents), and now we have our very own anti-teenage gang getting in on it; mostly because they think it’s the right thing to be doing come the end of their school years.
For those who aren’t already acquainted, The Inbetweeners is a hugely successful, award-winning E4 show that’s made the leap into Hollywood for one last hurrah. The film, like the show, follows the lives of four depressingly normal teenage boys in sixth form, talking about girls, girls, sex and girls, while simply waiting for their lives to start. When one of them gets dumped, the other three decide that what he really needs is
a ‘mental’ holiday to Malia, the hot spot for 18 year olds looking for their first STI and bout of alcohol poisoning.
So Will (Simon Bird), Simon (Joe Thomas), Jay (James Buckley) and Neil (Blake Harrison) head off for Crete, sporting some hugely offensive t-shirts and comically heightened expectations. You just know those expectations are going to be promptly thrashed, but the film manages to make it funnier that it is tragic, sweeter than it is sentimental, and while maintaining those things that make the boys so very British. The move to the big screen hasn’t eradicated the essential ‘naff-ness’ and boredom inherent to their lives, and it’s comforting to know they’re the same characters we’ve gotten to know, no matter what country they’re in.
While all the cast have proved their comedy chops over the years, the standout for the movie has to be James Buckley’s foul-mouthed Jay. Even if they don’t feel as frequent, his outlandish claims are still present and correct. The difference is that there’s a quiet desperation and mounting sadness to his character this time around, and it bubbles to the surface more than once. Essentially being a 90-minute long episode, there’s more room for dramatic intensity here, and Jay’s struggle comes out on top. The nature of their friendships is harshly brought into light as they try to deal with the changes about to happen in their lives.
But don’t get me wrong; The Inbetweeners Movie isn’t a weepy. There are some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments, a hilarious synchronised dance sequence (led by Neil) not least among them. While in the series the sweetness and nostalgia lay in the hopelessness and normality of the characters, here it lies in the bond between friends, some inevitably left behind in the shuffle. Girls come into play, of course, and their wooing techniques are just as tragic as they’ve ever been.
The Inbetweeners Movie is an unfussy, genuinely funny and sweetly nostalgic gem of a film. Against the odds, this British sitcom seems a perfect fit for the big screen send-off its been graced with, and lost none of its charm from the switch. It has everything those who love the series will want, but adds enough extra to entice newcomers. The only negative is it probably won’t travel well, being so inherently British, but it would be a shame for others to miss out of the universal themes and entertainment value this film easily embodies.
For those who aren’t already acquainted, The Inbetweeners is a hugely successful, award-winning E4 show that’s made the leap into Hollywood for one last hurrah. The film, like the show, follows the lives of four depressingly normal teenage boys in sixth form, talking about girls, girls, sex and girls, while simply waiting for their lives to start. When one of them gets dumped, the other three decide that what he really needs is
a ‘mental’ holiday to Malia, the hot spot for 18 year olds looking for their first STI and bout of alcohol poisoning.
So Will (Simon Bird), Simon (Joe Thomas), Jay (James Buckley) and Neil (Blake Harrison) head off for Crete, sporting some hugely offensive t-shirts and comically heightened expectations. You just know those expectations are going to be promptly thrashed, but the film manages to make it funnier that it is tragic, sweeter than it is sentimental, and while maintaining those things that make the boys so very British. The move to the big screen hasn’t eradicated the essential ‘naff-ness’ and boredom inherent to their lives, and it’s comforting to know they’re the same characters we’ve gotten to know, no matter what country they’re in.
While all the cast have proved their comedy chops over the years, the standout for the movie has to be James Buckley’s foul-mouthed Jay. Even if they don’t feel as frequent, his outlandish claims are still present and correct. The difference is that there’s a quiet desperation and mounting sadness to his character this time around, and it bubbles to the surface more than once. Essentially being a 90-minute long episode, there’s more room for dramatic intensity here, and Jay’s struggle comes out on top. The nature of their friendships is harshly brought into light as they try to deal with the changes about to happen in their lives.
But don’t get me wrong; The Inbetweeners Movie isn’t a weepy. There are some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments, a hilarious synchronised dance sequence (led by Neil) not least among them. While in the series the sweetness and nostalgia lay in the hopelessness and normality of the characters, here it lies in the bond between friends, some inevitably left behind in the shuffle. Girls come into play, of course, and their wooing techniques are just as tragic as they’ve ever been.
The Inbetweeners Movie is an unfussy, genuinely funny and sweetly nostalgic gem of a film. Against the odds, this British sitcom seems a perfect fit for the big screen send-off its been graced with, and lost none of its charm from the switch. It has everything those who love the series will want, but adds enough extra to entice newcomers. The only negative is it probably won’t travel well, being so inherently British, but it would be a shame for others to miss out of the universal themes and entertainment value this film easily embodies.
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