| Having spent some time at the Edinburgh Book Festival, I decided to plummet to the other end of the intellectual scale and introduce myself to the Inbetweeners.
Actually, that is unfair, because it certainly isn’t a dumb film. Gross, yes, but it is pretty smart much of the time, especially in the observations of Will (Simon Bird).
I must be one of the few people who previously knew nothing about the four likeable, nerdy misfits who make up the title quartet. I am happy to have made their acquaintance. I had gathered in advance that you have to be ready for anything, and there are certainly a few sights in the film that I wouldn’t normally want to see. You have to take it in context.
Jay (James Buckley) is in Australia, and tells his old pals that he is now a top DJ with girls climbing all over him. It’s not true of course, he actually works in a club toilet and has gone down under to win back his ex-girlfriend Jane. He obviously didn’t expect the others to come over and see for themselves, but they do.
Simon (Joe Thomas) is happy to go to escape his girlfriend Lucy, who he inadvertently makes his fiancée. All the more reason to go to the other side of the world.
Will meets an old school friend Katie, who amazingly seems to like him a lot, though it turns out, not exclusively. There’s a problem called Ben, a standard-issue cool beach-boy they first meet sitting at a campfire with a guitar. Will says “Oh no, there’s always some c*nt with a guitar.” My feelings entirely.
The adventure takes them across the desert and into real danger – maybe. Will gets wise to Katy, Jay finds Jane and Simon gets off the hook, with Neil (Blake Harrison) along for the ride. It’s not the story that counts. I could have put up with more of this. There’s some memorably horrible stuff, such as what chases Will down a water flume, and how Simon tries to get a drink in the desert.
The lads are too old to pass for teenagers now so it looks like there won’t be any follow-ups. I’ll just have to go back in time and watch their earlier adventures.
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