A review of the 2011 film The Inbetweeners Movie, starring Simon Bird, James Buckley, Blake Harrison and Joe Thomas.
I remember back in 2008 seeing a television advert for The Inbetweeners and being instantly attracted to it. It filled the gap in the British comedy market for that awkward stage of being a “normal” 16-17 year old guy living in suburban UK, and everything that comes with it.
Over three glorious seasons I, and much of the country, watched Will, Simon, Jay, and Neil try and navigate the awkward world of state comprehensive education. With the television series over, there was just this summers film to wrap the program up for good.
The Inbetweeners Movie
After a couple of hours persuading the missus to see it with me, I finally watched the film today. Although I was very excited about watching it, I was slightly worried this would just be a extended version of the normal 20 minute episodes. However, it became apparent as soon the film started that it had a different feel than the original series. It could just be the fact that we were watching The Inbetweeners at the cinema, but it felt grander to me.
The film follows the guys on a lads holiday in Crete. What made me laugh is the film was actually filmed in Magaluf – where I did a lads holiday at the same age. Like the London clubbing episode in series three, the scene overwhelms the guys slightly, who, after appearing broken by the holiday at the start, end up having some classic boozy nights. The film climax’s in a big boat party where everything slowly slots together – in a classic Inbetweeners kind of way.
The film has the usual laughs in it, but also lots of subtle references to the television series. Jay gets caught wanking early on, Simon needs rescuing while in the sea, and there’s a reference to being sick and making out with a girl immediately afterwards.
This sums up the film to me. It is a movie in it’s own right, feels like a movie, but does refer back to the series – both in subtle hints and background info. It has all the classic Inbetweeners genius, some truly cringe worth scenes, and wraps up the ending for the characters very well (if not a little cheesy though…). To be fair, I don’t think this review accurately reflects the film. Why not check out the trailer below: