Today's Review: The Inbetweeners Movie

This movie's been out for a while, I know, but I don't make a habit of paying for the cinema, and today I had a free ticket, so off we went. The Inbetweeners was a good show, even if it went a bit stale in the third series.I wasn't that convinced about the idea of a movie, especially once the clubbing holiday element came to light. It reminded me too much of Kevin & Perry Go Large, which was great when I wangled my way in to see it when I was 13, but in hindsight was pretty crappy.

So basically, the boys go on a holiday to Malia, where they hope to do some clubbing, get drunk and get laid. Trouble is they're still as awkward and unfortunate as ever, so it's just opportunity for failure on a massive scale. Despite the larger scope, however, the movie still sticks to the roots of the series. It's just about the boys and their friendship and situation, just in a different location.

The jokes have shifted a bit in quality though. Instead of the witty(?) vulgar catchphrases the series was known for, there's a large emphasis on poop and puke jokes, and while Jay is still always coming up with different words for vagina, it's overshadowed by the presence of other, sillier things.

While there's not much movie-scale conflict that could arise given the basis of the movie, the film makers tried their best, and the introduction of four actual females who appear interested may seem a little contrived, but it gives the characters something to aim for. Unfortunately it turns into yet another movie where you can probably guess what's going to happen, and everything really starts to fall into place against all odds.

The boys play their roles just as well as in the series. You can tell they're still having fun, and the movie is a nice little ending to the show as a whole, especially given the fact that the last episode didn't really provide much closure. But in the end, while the movie is good, it's just not great. It reminds too much of Kevin & Perry, but definitely is a superior film. There's just quite a bit that's holding it back from being even better.

My rating: 3/5