THE INBETWEENERS MOVIE (2011)

Genre: Comedy
Director: Ben Palmer
Cast: James Buckley, Blake Harrison , Joe Thomas, and Simon Bird
RunTime: 1 hr 37 mins
Rating: M18 (Coarse Language, Sexual References and Some Nudity)
Released By:  MVP & Golden Village
Official Website:

Opening Day: 5 January 2012

Synopsis: THE INBETWEENERS MOVIE is the fastest-grossing live action comedy in UK box office history, topping the UK and Ireland box office for 4 weeks!

Will (Simon Bird), Simon (Joe Thomas), Jay (James Buckley) and Neil (Blake Harrison), have finished school forever, and are off on their first lads’ holiday. They’ve got two weeks in Malia with no parents, no teachers, no money, and little chance with the ladies.

From the creative minds that brought you the award winning TV show (creators & writers Damon Beesley and Iain Morris; producer Christopher Young and director Ben Palmer), the boys are joined on the big screen by Emily Head, Belinda Stewart-Wilson, and Greg Davies. The film introduces Lydia Rose Bewley, Laura Haddock, Jessica Knappett, and Tamla Kari.

Join them in cinemas everywhere as they continue their outrageous adventures on the big screen.

This December four boys become men.

Movie Review:

There are many great TV shows which never made it to our local screens. While we are familiar with sitcoms like Friends (for those who are, well, a little older) and Glee (we don’t know anyone who does not like this cultural phenomenon), there are sitcoms like The Inbetweeners which are just as good – if not better. And how do we know that?

It’s British.

The award winning production aired for three seasons from 2008 to 2010 in Britain, and has been nominated at BAFTA and won accolades at the British Academy Television Awards and the British Comedy Awards. The episodic adventures of a suburban teenager are chronicled in this series as he and his friends make life work at the fictional Rudge Park Comprehensive. This movie version follows their misadventures as they go on a holiday in Crete after their final year at school together. It is supposed to serve as an ending to the TV series written by creators Damon Beesley and Iain Morris.

The film directed by Ben Palmer is a hoot to watch, especially if you step into the theatre with no background knowledge of the series, or the personalities of the four protagonists Will, Simon Jay and Neil. The fun and joy is sitting through the 97 minute movie, slowly knowing these four characters played by Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, James Buckley and Blake Harrison. With each of them displaying a unique personality, you are reminded of your own memories of hanging out with your friends on your first overseas trip. It helps, of course, if you are a guy.

We haven’t seen the original TV series to know what the humour is like, but judging from this movie, we can tell you that this is one teen comedy that will leave you in stitches. While it the shyer viewer (probably of the female species) may be slightly embarrassed by some of the scenes (warning: expect to see, err, genitalia), the movie never becomes distasteful and offensive. While some may consider it on the brinks of becoming obnoxious, the crude humour remains truly funny throughout. Maybe it’s the British accent, or maybe it’s the socially awkward boys who you cannot bear to hate – this is a comedy that you will enjoy. 

Narrated by Bird’s character Will, the boys’ holiday is marked with drugs, booze and sex, or so they had hoped. Things go wrong in the most hilarious ways and each of them ends up in different unthinkable consequences. Watch out for a scene where the four boys attempt to steal the sun tan chairs at a hotel pool – you don’t know whether to sympathize or laugh at them when things go awry.

Amidst the laughs, there is heart in the movie. There are stories of love, tales of friendship and how people stand by each other at the end of the day. You’ll come to realise that while not every one of us has the fortune to live the perfect life, it is the people around us that matters the most.

Movie Rating:
  

(This teen comedy has got lots of heart – it may contain crude jokes, but it is everything The Hangover isn’t)

Review by John Li