The Inbetweeners - The Movie (2011)

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The Cast: Simon Bird (Will), James Buckley (Jay), Blake Harrison (Neil), Joe Thomas (Simon)

The series of ‘The Inbetweeners’ first aired in 2008 and introduced us to the four misfits we have come to know and love from series to series. It focuses on a very geeky Will, his three friends and their experiences at school.  All of the series have been received very well, winning them the Audience Award at the BATA’s in 2010 and the Best Sitcom award at the BCA’s in 2011.

The movie was long awaited as it a natural development for a series like this, being very popular for relating to its target audience. I was desperate to see this when it came out. I haven’t been an avid watcher of the series but I had seen quite a few episodes and thought the film would be just up my street.



Photo Credit



For people who watch the series, some have said there have been episodes that have possibly been funnier than the film. As I cannot judge that as I have not seen every single episode of every series, I can only speak from the viewpoint of the film in its own right.

The film focuses on the four boys making a trip to Malia, Crete. They want to have a memorable summer and show their schoolmates that they can be just as cool as them! They have two things in mind: drinking and getting girls! It was a great marketing choice to release the film just after the summer as everyone came back from party destinations such as Malia, Ibiza, Magaloof and Ayia Napa to be reminded of the fun antics they got up to!

My friend and I watched the film and couldn’t wait to start planning our trip to Ibiza next year as the film got us in the mood to be back on holiday, partying away! The film is hilarious and had us in stitches most of the way through it. The characters are already established thanks to the series but the actors made their mark in the film world and proved they are not just for the small screen.

What I like about this film are the love interests. The girls are perfectly suited to the boys and you are rooting for them to get together. Many have complained that the ending was too much of a happy ending but I think for viewers who empathise with the boys, we want them to be happy and finally get the girl! It’s a nice way for the boys to finally get what they deserve as they are sweet, geeky boys who hardly have any luck so the film wraps up loose ends and actually cuts them a break!

The antics the boys get up to on the first night are totally hilarious, Neil’s moves are hard to resist and adding in the other boys, seriously how do they not get girls? That was definitely my favourite part of the film. It had the whole audience crying with laughter! In the cinema the film was a big hit, everyone laughed in unison at the majority of the jokes, except one guy in front who laughed a few seconds later every time, there’s always one!

The fact is, it captured many people’s holiday experiences, maybe not to such an extreme but it made people feel familiar with the location, situations and characters. The film compliments the series well and it is worth a watch!

My view: Highly recommended. This film is pure comedy and laughs with a hint of romance. What more do you want from a film based on such a successful and established series?

Please leave your feedback on this film or let me know via twitter: @Trishaaa_

Links: http://www.e4.com/inbetweeners/
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inbetweeners

My No1 Actor

Leonardo DiCaprio has been one of my favourite actors for a very long time. Actually scratch that, he IS my favourite actor of ALL time. I first watched him in ‘Titanic’ and I was amazed by his good looks and charm on screen. He has a genuine and likeable character that I adored as a young teenager, and obviously his natural good looks did do him favours. After that film I was a lover of DiCaprio and began following his work and back-tracking his previous films to be up-to-date with all that he had done.

I still have a few films of his to get through but what I love about DiCaprio is his choices in films. Not one of his films was a bad choice; they are all good quality in script, characters and effects for their time. Least of all he has the ability to hold his own on screen. From the beginning he gripped movie lovers with his believable performances and worked alongside some fantastic and well known actors.

In his very early career, he was seen in commercials and teen soaps such as ‘Growing Pains’ in the early 1990s but was soon making his name known in the films he first starred in.

DiCaprio’s films:

·         Critters 3 (1991)– his first film debut

·         This Boy’s Life(1992)– handpicked by Robert De Niro out of 400 young actors and received his first critical praise within the film industry for his fantastic performance as a trouble young boy with an abusive stepfather

·         What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) – Dicaprio supported Johnny Depp  in this emotional and thought provoking film where he played a young boy with learning disabilities

·         The Quick and The Dead (1995) – western based film where he played ‘The Kid’, real talent shown here even as a young actor in a supporting role

·         Basketball Diaries (1995)- leading role in this disturbing teenage thriller that opens your eyes to the world of drug addiction

·         Marvin’s Room (1996) – supporting role as a young boy in a mental institution helping his mother, played by Meryl Streep, come to terms with her father and sister’s illnesses

·         Romeo and Juliet (1996) – Fantastic as lead in this adaptation of Shakespeare’s original romantic-tragedy, using the original dialogue in a modern day film. Interesting and original concept

·         Titanic (1997) – The film to bring him international fame. Another lead role and perfectly suited as the worldly Jack Dawson. Please see my post on this for a more in-depth review

·         The Man in the Iron Mask (1998) – Played dual roles as a the villainous King Louis XIV and his locked up twin brother, again showing diversity in his roles and the ability to capture audiences

·         The Beach (2000) –Played a backpacking American who searches for a secret island commune with fellow friends to discover that all is not so serene

·         Catch Me If You Can (2002) – worked alongside Christopher Walken and Tom Hanks as a young impersonator who travelled the country for free and committed countless amounts of fraud, all before his 19^th birthday. He played a less dark character here, showing a varied acting ability

·         Gangs Of New York (2002) – Territorial gang warfare set in the mid-19^th Century of the Five Points district of New York, DiCaprio played the protagonist of the Irish faction, Amsterdam Vallon

·         The Aviator (2004) –Played Howard Hughes, the aviation pioneer who battled with OCD. Worked along Cate Blanchett and received 5 Academy Awards

·         Blood Diamond (2006)-Played diamond smuggler from Rhodesia and successfully mastered the south African Afrikaner accent

·         The Departed (2006)- played a state trooper who went undercover for an Irish mob in Boston and his role in this film earned him a Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor

·         Body of Lies (2008) – paired with Russell Crowe for a spy film based around terrorist organisations and Revolutionary Road (2008) –  reunited with Kate Winslet where he portrayed a cowardly and un-heroic character than his previous films and his role in ‘Titanic’

·         Shutter Island (2010) –Fantastic in this film as an FBI investigator searching for the truth behind a missing inmate, it gets you thinking, plays on your mind and has a lot of twists. DiCaprio makes you want his character to succeed and discover the mystery of this institution as well as deeply sympathise with him

·         Inception (2010) – a film based around implanting or extracting ideas from dreams. Brilliant concept and excellent CGI effects, it is beautifully realised and just how one would imagine it. DiCaprio holds the film as the ‘extractor’ in this ‘dream-heist’

I am impressed by DiCaprio’s wealth of films as well as the quality of his acting. He doesn’t rush into playing a character, he truly realises them and almost becomes them. He learns the twitches, characteristics and accents for them and he suits every role he has played. Even with his youthful looks he has played some dark characters and made them his own.

Leonardo DiCaprio certainly knows about variety in his roles. He has played dark and disturbing characters, become a light-hearted comedian in some of his films to then acting in action-packed films or being the romantic everyman. He truly deserves the spot in Top 10 actors for me and with his skill, film choices and natural screen presence he is definitely my number 1!

Follow him on twitter as he is an active philanthropist: @LeoDiCaprio

His website: http://www.leonardodicaprio.com/

My favourite photos (just to indulge myself really):