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The Inbetweeners Movie Review

Now available on Blu-ray and DVD (Buy on Amazon)

In the vein of every movie about awkward teenagers attempting to lose their virginity, The Inbetweeners Movie follows four friends as they travel to a tropical locale to have some fun and get laid (or at the very least don't embarrass themselves). Based on a British television show, the movie defies expectations to be one of the funnier movies of the year.

Simon Bird, James Buckley, Blake Harrison and Joe Thomas star as the four guys, who each have the social etiquette of a mentally challenged ape. Will (Bird) is the voice of reason for the group, but he doesn't know how to just shut up and have a good time. Jay (Buckley) isn't the brightest tool in the shed and Simon (Joe Thomas) is obsessed with his ex-girlfriend, who just recently dumped him. Meanwhile, the Stifler of the group is Neil (Harrison), but unlike Stifler he'll pursue anything with a vagina, no matter how old, fat or disgusting.

There's not much that can be said about the plot, which is your typical spring break story. All in all, there is very little that is original about the entire movie. And yet, for a few reasons, The Inbetweeners Movie just works:

  1. Spring break movies (in this case, summer vacation) can be effective in spite of a lack of originality, as long as the characters are likable and the jokes good enough.
  2. The characters are likable. They are frustratingly obnoxious, but you feel for them and, sadly, can relate to them.
  3. The movie is well written. The Inbetweeners Movie is undeniably British. The humor is a little more reserved, wittier. And yet the film remains accessible to American audiences.

There's nothing spectacularly great about The Inbetweeners Movie. It plays out exactly as you'd expect it to play out, and it isn't explosively hilarious. But the filmmakers aligned their cards just right and turned what so easily could have been a forgettable direct-to-DVD release into a surprisingly entertaining comedy.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.

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