The Inbetweeners Movie

After a mediocre third series, fans of acclaimed Channel 4 coming-of-age comedy The Inbetweeners might have been left slightly cold in their search for a satisfactory end to the story of Will, Simon, Jay and Neil. Writers Damon Beesley and Iain Morris granted themselves a reprieve with the announcement of The Inbetweeners Movie, and have delivered the goods this time around with a story arc which, although familiar, provides an ideal conclusion to a comedy which has become something of a British institution over the last few years.

We join our four protagonists as they prepare for their last day of school. After a reliably hilarious parting word from unhinged headmaster Mr Gilbert (Greg Davies), they head out into the real world. Simon (Joe Thomas) has finally managed to clinch the affections of Carli (Emily Head), although it’s short lived, and within the first ten minutes he’s on his own again. Ever the opportunist, Jay (James Buckley) rallies the troops and they head for Malia for a “mental holiday” to clear Simon’s head. What follows is a hilarious, cringeworthy, and occasionally surprisingly moving collection of awkward moments and hysterical outbursts that helps secure The Inbetweeners Movie as 2011′s funniest British film.

While many TV-to-film adaptations fall wide of the mark, this manages to match the tone and style of the series, preserving the feeling that you’re watching a feature-length episode rather than a clumsy attempt to protract something that would have better befitted a 25 minute time slot. Yes, Beesley and Morris are guilty of overplaying their hand with the cringe moments here and there, and the story of each of the boys’ budding romances are well-worn, but if you go into this expecting anything else, the chances are you missed the point in the first place.

For the mostpart, the main four characters keep largely to the personas they’ve cultivated over the last three series, with Will (Simon Bird) his usual awkward self and Neil’s (Blake Harrison) hilarious obliviousness providing an unlikely source of wisdom late in the day. Only Simon really breaks character, with his obsession with Carli becoming all-encompassing to the point of self-parody. On the plus side, it’s refreshing to see a rare vulnerable moment from Jay, as he worries over what the future holds when the boys part ways at the end of the summer.

All in all, fans of the programme are almost bound to enjoy this, as one of Britain’s most popular comedy series of recent years is finally given the send-off it deserves. Puerile, stiflingly awkward and riddled with immaturity and out-and-out craziness it may be, but isn’t that exactly what we’ve come to love and expect from The Inbetweeners? Making a commendably effortless step to the big screen, chalk this one up as a resounding victory.