The Inbetweeners Movie

Spawned from the hit British TV show, The Inbetweeners Movie is less a self-sufficient film than an epilogue that the daring and hilarious sitcom never needed. Pretentious Will (Simon Bird), oversexed Jay (James Buckley), dopey Neil (Blake Harrison) and naïve Simon (Joe Thomas) are all graduating high school, but before they move on to college or unimpressive jobs, they're setting out for a wild vacation together in Malia, Greece. Of course, those familiar with the show will rightfully expect the boys' plans of booze and girls, girls, girls to be fraught with misadventures, and there are a few including Neil's conquests of various hot-to-trot senior citizens, Jay's poorly conceived pick-up tactics, Simon's efforts to win his ex, Carli, back, and Will's attempt to hook up with a beautiful blonde who is way out of his league. Unfortunately, most of these arcs play like retreads from the series, and lose their traction on their second go round. Worse yet, the show's writers Damon Beesley and Iain Morris struggle with the longer format, offering a meandering plot that lacks pace and payoff resulting in a movie that feels flat, uncinematic and ultimately lacks the rousing energy of the show. While there's a few jokes that are sure to delight dedicated fans of the series, The Inbetweeners Movie is essentially a wasted opportunity that feels more like a lazy victory lap than taking the show's heralded humor to a whole new level. In short, if you've seen the show, it'll be a chance to spend a bit more time with its characters, but little else; if you haven't seen the show, watch the show.