Like most genres of
film, comedy has many sub-genres. Recently, for example, The
Inbetweeners 2 has shown that
gross-out comedy can make millions at the box office (£22 million in
a month, to be precise) and 22 Jump Street capitalised
on the popularity of the action-comedy genre.
Just as The
Inbetweeners 2 made the
transition from TV to cinema, so too does the style of comedy found
in the BBC series Outnumbered.
The translation from the small screen to the cinema is not always
smooth, and TV comedies sometimes struggle to find a cinematic
sensibility. But What We Did On Our Holiday,
from the writers of Outnumbered,
manages to not only make the transition, but does so in an engaging
and feel-good way.
Andy
Hamilton and Guy Jenkin have a very recognisable style of comedy,
characterised by low-key and rather mundane set-ups and
semi-improvisational scripts, all of which create humour which is
funny because it is instantly recognisable. For their first cinematic
outing, Hamilton and Jenkin have continued to play to their strengths
by writing dialogue with which the audience can identify and by
letting the child actors improvise, often to hilarious effect.
What We Did On Our
Holiday is not, however, a just
a rehash of Outnumbered.
It provides the audience – as all TV comedies must in a move to the
big screen – with something new and, in this case, a new family and
an altogether more extraordinary plot. The film follows the McLeod
family as they visit Scotland for their grandfather's (Billy
Connolly) birthday party. The only trouble is, Abi (Rosamund Pike)
and Doug (David Tennant) are embarking on a divorce and must attempt
to keep this secret from their extended family. But when a day out to
the beach takes a tragic turn, the three McLeod children (Emilia
Jones, Bobby Smalldridge and Harriet Turnbull) take matters into
their own hands.
The
quirks of family life are amplified in What We Did On Our
Holiday and whether it is the
youngest McLeod child's perverse attachment to a brick called Norman,
or her older sister's insistence on keeping a notebook with all the
lies that she must remember to tell her family about her parent's
situation, there are some very touching moments in the film. The
absurdity of Billy Connolly's situation cannot fail to generate a
laugh and even if the film just manages to stay on the right side of
cinematic, the style of comedy shines through.
The
cast is, most certainly, very watchable and features a whole host of
British acting talent. Tennant and Pike play the antagonistic couple
very well and Billy Connolly is on fine form as the grumpy, but
sweet-natured grandfather. Ben Miller and Celia Imrie add to the
ridiculousness of the story, but it is the child actors who give the
most laughs and are a joy to watch. The snappy and funny dialogue
sustains the film's running time and, for the most part, keeps the
audience on-side even when the more sentimental sections of the plot
threaten to spill over into saccharine schmaltz. The most affecting
performances come from Tennant and Jones (who plays the eldest
daughter) and their father/daughter relationship explores many themes
with which any family can identify.
Love,
death and familial bonds are all explored and it is credit to
Hamilton and Jenkin's writing that the film always feels good-natured
and warm-hearted. Although the whole set-up is ludicrous (in contrast
to the everyday normality of Outnumbered) and the plot's
resolution rather predictable, What We Did On Our Holiday rings
true on many levels and is a well-judged observation of family life
and its myriad of troubles and delights.
Clapperboard Rating: * * * *
What We Did On
Our Holiday is released
nationwide on 26th
September
