While I had never really heard much about The Inbetweeners before the movie was slated to be release in the United States, I’m always willing to rake a look at entertainment that comes from the UK. THE INBETWEENERS movie had long come and gone across the pond, based on the popular comedy television series of the same name, but perhaps MTV’s remake hitting the airwaves may have been just enough to prompt Wrekin Hill Entertainment to release the film domestically. The question now is whether or not American audiences will enjoy a movie based on series most of us know nothing about.

Will (Simon Bird), Jay (James Buckley), Neil (Blake Harrison) and Simon (Joe Thomas) are four British high school kids fresh out of graduation and looking to take a rocking summer vacation. They head to the beaches of Malia looking for sexual adventures and wild parties. Things go awry from the start as their hotel turns out to be a seedy old building, but the boys are determined to look on the bright side. A group of girls from their bus become prime targets, but these four hopeless chaps are anything but smooth. Will becomes transfixed on Alison (Laura Haddock), a beautiful blonde who insists she’s happy with her Greek boyfriend, but seems content enough to socialize with other boys. Jay seems to have a pessimistic attitude about their odds on the trip, and his main focus is to not get saddled with any “fat” girls. Neil is the coolest of the bunch, save for his insistence on wearing a fake tan just on his face and neck. And then there’s Simon, who can’t get over his newly ex-girlfriend long enough to accept the advances of Jane (Lydia Rose Bewley). With the odds against them, can these guys hope to score, much less have a truly fun summer?

I purposely avoided watching The Inbetweeners series, so as to judge the film as a film on its own. What I found was this funny foursome takes you on a comedic journey that’s wild and witty, and even American audiences should be able to enjoy their antics. It’s easy to see the established chemistry between the leads, and in many ways you could say THE INBETWEENERS movie is the UK answer to AMERICAN PIE, fun and funny stuff. Simon Bird’s “Will” even has the look and characteristics of Jason Biggs in the PIE series, and definitely serves as a similar type of lead. Certain moments in the film feel almost instantly classic, including an impromptu dance scene, and a skinny dipping segment that’s anything but sexy. The only character I didn’t quite click with was Simon, as his obsession with his ex goes past the point of being funny and just kind of annoying, but it does provide some unexpected endings to some typical scenes in this type of comedy.

In many ways this is just another formulaic teen sex comedy, but a refreshing quality to it and just enough surprises to keep things interesting. Since watching the film I’ve gone back and caught up a bit on the UK series, which is quite good and helps me understand a bit of the interactions with the leads, but I wouldn’t say it’s essential you do that to enjoy the movie. Most of the humor on display is pretty universal, and by the end of it all I found myself really liking these guys. To my surprise, knowing so little about the source material, I found the entire exercise to be wild, wacky, and highly endearing – if you’re looking for something familiar and yet different, THE INBETWEENERS is comedy treat.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 
•