The Inbetweeners Movie

Review by Sean Lynch

It's a tough task to bring a TV show to the big screen. Many have tried and many have failed (The ill fated Bottom movie "Guest House Paridisio" or even "Sex and the City 2"), so what is it that sets The Inbetweeners apart from the rest?

From the team behind the record breaking and award winning TV program comes The Inbetweeners Movie, essentially what a fourth series would be, which shows what happens when four lads go on holiday to Malia with no parents, no teachers, no money and little chance with the ladies.

The key to the success of The Inbetweeners Movie is that there is still plenty of life in these characters. Whereas most TV shows wait until well over 100 episodes and at least two seasons after the TV shows creative peak, The Inbetweeners have opted to jump to the big screen just at the right time.

That's not to take anything away from the excellent writing from it's creators. Somehow they have consistently been able to manage the depths of teenage humiliation without ever forcing outrageous events onto it's audience. Unlike, perhaps, teen comedies of the early 2000s (American Pie, Road Trip, etc) there is nothing really outside of the realms of reality happening here.

Sure, these guys are massive losers. Sure, the girls are incredibly attractive. Yet somehow it never seems totally unbelievable that someone like Simon could win over the affections of a hot blonde on a schoolies scale holiday. Hell, if I had a penny for every time an attractive female friend of mine admitted to "dropping her standards" slightly on a drunken holiday I'd have enough pennies to buy The Inbetweeners Movie on DVD.

More than anything, The Inbetweeners Movie is excellent because it is genuinely funny. No, not "forced jokes, people opening doors and being shocked at what lies inside" farcical gags - I'm talking genuine, unpredictable, laugh out loud funny.

Team this with the undeniable chemistry between it's four male leads (some of the best comedic finds since Ricky Gervais cast The Office) and you've got yourself an instant generational comedy classic that - hopefully - will still hold up a decade from now.

A must watch for any guy who ever made the mistake of thinking "More Gel is Cool"!

DVD Special Features

The movie was an out-and-out smash hit in it's home country, and quite a surprise hit here in Australia. So it's no surprise that this "UK Hangover For Youths" has delivered the goods on DVD because one can only assume it's destined for cult status.

Included on the two disc edition are a swag of extras including a making of featurette, some very funny shorts following what the cast do while they aren't filming, some classic bloopers and footage from the red carpet premiere.

For those who still have a DVD collection and refuse to upgrade to digital - this is the comedy DVD for you!

Conclusion: Movie 90% Extras: 75%