From modest beginnings on E4, “The Inbetweeners” became – in my view – one of the greatest British TV comedies of recent years. If you’d ever been a teenager in suburbia, you could relate to Will, Simon, Jay and Neil’s ham-fisted efforts to get drunk, impress girls and navigate their hormonal way through sixth form.
The transition to the big screen brings a few moments of sheer comedy gold, such as the hilarious nightclub dance and hotel pool scenes, but the movie generally doesn’t have the same wit or invention as the TV series. Whereas the TV episodes were short, sharp and usually ended with the boys’ failure and humiliation, the movie is drawn-out and sentimental, and a happy ending is telegraphed from early on.
The film’s plot, which revolves around the group’s encounters (and growing bond) with four holidaying girls, doesn’t really convince. The girls themselves are well played, but their interest in the boys – despite the latter’s charmless, gauche and sometimes obnoxious behaviour – beggars belief. None of the romantic possibilities in the series were ever so forgiving, and four attractive girls on holiday in a party resort are hardly going to hang around after being ignored and offended. Elsewhere, the main ‘villain’ of the piece (a nasty club rep) doesn’t get enough screen time or play a coherent role, and Simon’s tedious obsession with Carli is overdone. A couple of amusing cameos from sociopathic teacher Mr Gilbert simply remind you how much better the series was.
While the story allows the boys to mature a little – even Jay gets a poignant scene when he realises that he and Simon will soon go their separate ways – I had the feeling that none of the lads travelled far enough along their character arc to justify the movie’s upbeat conclusion.
Overall, despite its weaknesses, this is a nice postscript to “The Inbetweeners” that will entertain fans. Sure, it’s lewd, it’s crude and it’s unsophisticated, but the movie’s depiction of teenage boys, and their typical drunken holiday antics, is faithful and amusing.
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This review is from: The Inbetweeners Movie [DVD] (DVD)
Being an Inbetweeners fan, having watched every episode aired, and owning all three series. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Since we all know, from past accusations, the TV programme to cinematic film format hasn’t gone quite to plan, almost pretty much most of the time.
However, when I went to go see this at the cinema, I was entertained for a whole 90 minutes, and you should expect to be entertained! Despite paying for incredibely expensive tickets just to watch a film! Although, to most reviewers claiming ‘It wasn’t as good as the television series’. I beg to differ! The film was altered from the television series to make sure that the people who hadn’t heard of or viewed the TV series could still relate to the film. Raise your expectations with this film, because it may appear as ‘one extra long episode’ to some, however I thought it was a great addition to the finale of the series.
The writers, especially, showed the true friendship between these boys, their individual personality and development still intact. The comical and the emotional journey of becoming an adult and dealing with rejection, these characters have learnt from, without changing who they really are inside.
Overall, to sum up this review. A very funny, rude, crude, light hearted and comical film, which truly redefines and lives up to E4’s greatest television sitcom ever made!
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Let’s be honest, there aren’t many great UK youth movies out there, it is something that I have to begrudgingly admit that the Americans do a lot better. So hats off, then, to The Inbetweeners Movie, because it has managed to put it’s self out there with the panache of a Yank flic but with the fundamental feel of the best of Brit comedy. If you have Kevin & Perry Go Large in your head, forget it. This is much closer to Superbad… but with more jokes about lady parts.
What I really love about this movie, when looking at it from a production side of things, is that it is essentially just a feature length inbetweeners episode. I hate it when a TV show is made into a movie and all sorts of “improvements” are made, but in this movie we have the same cast, same feel, same dirty old jokes. Happily though, you can see that some money has been spent on this film, but not in the way that the production values have got in the way of the story, or mythos of the TV show, which it so often can with this sort of film.
From the direction and editing side of the film, one thing that stood out for me is that there are so many strategic uses of slow motion to great effect like the boys in `Pussay Patrol’ T-shirts coming out of a hotel like rubbish Reservoir Dogs or the inevitable mid film montage with “the dance” (if you have seen it you will know what I mean) the affect is used very skilfully, increasing the comedy, without laying it on too thick.
At the end of the day, The Inbetweeners has always been about its central friendship and amidst the vomit and the virginity losing, the film delivers a realistic believable portrait of four young blokes, look out for a touching discussion as the penny drops that university might spell the end of the friendship. The performances from Bird, Thomas, Buckley and Harrison are pitch-perfect and amplify a sweetness that is only an undercurrent in the show. Lessons are learned – one huge element of the show is laid to rest – and friendships cemented, although never in a soppy way. As they arrive back in Blighty, the unthinkable might have happened: they might have come of age.
For fans of the show I don’t think a much better movie could have been made for them, for casual viewers, like me, this is a reasonably entertaining movie when compared to comedy movies in general, but when comparing it to the Kevin and Perry’s of yester year, it’s a bloody masterpiece!
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Funny, but not up the standard of the fantastic TV series,
From modest beginnings on E4, “The Inbetweeners” became – in my view – one of the greatest British TV comedies of recent years. If you’d ever been a teenager in suburbia, you could relate to Will, Simon, Jay and Neil’s ham-fisted efforts to get drunk, impress girls and navigate their hormonal way through sixth form.
The transition to the big screen brings a few moments of sheer comedy gold, such as the hilarious nightclub dance and hotel pool scenes, but the movie generally doesn’t have the same wit or invention as the TV series. Whereas the TV episodes were short, sharp and usually ended with the boys’ failure and humiliation, the movie is drawn-out and sentimental, and a happy ending is telegraphed from early on.
The film’s plot, which revolves around the group’s encounters (and growing bond) with four holidaying girls, doesn’t really convince. The girls themselves are well played, but their interest in the boys – despite the latter’s charmless, gauche and sometimes obnoxious behaviour – beggars belief. None of the romantic possibilities in the series were ever so forgiving, and four attractive girls on holiday in a party resort are hardly going to hang around after being ignored and offended. Elsewhere, the main ‘villain’ of the piece (a nasty club rep) doesn’t get enough screen time or play a coherent role, and Simon’s tedious obsession with Carli is overdone. A couple of amusing cameos from sociopathic teacher Mr Gilbert simply remind you how much better the series was.
While the story allows the boys to mature a little – even Jay gets a poignant scene when he realises that he and Simon will soon go their separate ways – I had the feeling that none of the lads travelled far enough along their character arc to justify the movie’s upbeat conclusion.
Overall, despite its weaknesses, this is a nice postscript to “The Inbetweeners” that will entertain fans. Sure, it’s lewd, it’s crude and it’s unsophisticated, but the movie’s depiction of teenage boys, and their typical drunken holiday antics, is faithful and amusing.
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|A true gem! Very funny, original, and entertaining,
Being an Inbetweeners fan, having watched every episode aired, and owning all three series. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Since we all know, from past accusations, the TV programme to cinematic film format hasn’t gone quite to plan, almost pretty much most of the time.
However, when I went to go see this at the cinema, I was entertained for a whole 90 minutes, and you should expect to be entertained! Despite paying for incredibely expensive tickets just to watch a film! Although, to most reviewers claiming ‘It wasn’t as good as the television series’. I beg to differ! The film was altered from the television series to make sure that the people who hadn’t heard of or viewed the TV series could still relate to the film. Raise your expectations with this film, because it may appear as ‘one extra long episode’ to some, however I thought it was a great addition to the finale of the series.
The writers, especially, showed the true friendship between these boys, their individual personality and development still intact. The comical and the emotional journey of becoming an adult and dealing with rejection, these characters have learnt from, without changing who they really are inside.
Overall, to sum up this review. A very funny, rude, crude, light hearted and comical film, which truly redefines and lives up to E4’s greatest television sitcom ever made!
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|in-between good and great,
Let’s be honest, there aren’t many great UK youth movies out there, it is something that I have to begrudgingly admit that the Americans do a lot better. So hats off, then, to The Inbetweeners Movie, because it has managed to put it’s self out there with the panache of a Yank flic but with the fundamental feel of the best of Brit comedy. If you have Kevin & Perry Go Large in your head, forget it. This is much closer to Superbad… but with more jokes about lady parts.
What I really love about this movie, when looking at it from a production side of things, is that it is essentially just a feature length inbetweeners episode. I hate it when a TV show is made into a movie and all sorts of “improvements” are made, but in this movie we have the same cast, same feel, same dirty old jokes. Happily though, you can see that some money has been spent on this film, but not in the way that the production values have got in the way of the story, or mythos of the TV show, which it so often can with this sort of film.
From the direction and editing side of the film, one thing that stood out for me is that there are so many strategic uses of slow motion to great effect like the boys in `Pussay Patrol’ T-shirts coming out of a hotel like rubbish Reservoir Dogs or the inevitable mid film montage with “the dance” (if you have seen it you will know what I mean) the affect is used very skilfully, increasing the comedy, without laying it on too thick.
At the end of the day, The Inbetweeners has always been about its central friendship and amidst the vomit and the virginity losing, the film delivers a realistic believable portrait of four young blokes, look out for a touching discussion as the penny drops that university might spell the end of the friendship. The performances from Bird, Thomas, Buckley and Harrison are pitch-perfect and amplify a sweetness that is only an undercurrent in the show. Lessons are learned – one huge element of the show is laid to rest – and friendships cemented, although never in a soppy way. As they arrive back in Blighty, the unthinkable might have happened: they might have come of age.
For fans of the show I don’t think a much better movie could have been made for them, for casual viewers, like me, this is a reasonably entertaining movie when compared to comedy movies in general, but when comparing it to the Kevin and Perry’s of yester year, it’s a bloody masterpiece!
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|