DIR: Ben Palmer • WRI: Iain Morris, Damon Beesley • PRO: Rosa Romero, Christopher Young • DOP: Ben Wheeler • ED: William Webb • DES: Dick Lunn • CAST: Simon Bird, James Buckley, Blake Harrison, Joe Thomas
The Inbetweeners Movie? Well, check your prudishness in at the ticket desk and make sure to bring your wellies, as you’ll be knee-deep in ‘clunge’ jokes and naughty slapstick humour. The lovable quartet of randy English teens are back and gracing a considerably larger screen in this feature film of the popular E4 comedy.
Reluctant friends Will, Simon, Jay and Neil go on a ‘whatever-the-equivalent-of-the-English-Leaving-Cert-is holiday’ to Malia, a cheesy clubbing resort in Crete that I’m now glad I never went to. So, just finished their exams and on the prowl for erm… love… the lads embark on an alcohol-fueled adventure fraught with fights, nudity, quadbikes, nudity, angry reps, tears, nudity and a big-ass boat party that would make the members of Lonely Island proud – and in there, somewhere, they even find the time for a smidgeon of bonding and self development.
Actually, there’s a surprising amount of warmth for a film in which one third of the scenes feature someone vomiting; and deep underneath all those vagina jokes is a touching tale of male friendship and coming-of-age romance.
Director Ben Palmer obviously had quite a bit of fun with the extra budget. The camera angles are pimped out to the max, with crane shots, CG, and sexy slo-mo sequences making damn sure we’re aware it’s a film and not an elongated episode of the TV series.
Speaking of which, an encyclopedic knowledge of the TV show isn’t a prerequisite; the premise is pretty simple and the script isn’t overly laden with self-references. There’s a decent plot and a consistently funny barrage of jokes – so as long as you don’t bring your mum/granny/priest with you to see it, or are expecting a subtext-laden sequel to Atonement – you should get your money’s worth!
Gemma Creagh
Rated 16
The Inbetweeners Movie is released on 19th August 2011
