The Inbetweeners 2 (2014)
★★★ — The Inbetweeners 2 (2014)
By the time the credits rolled on The Inbetweeners Movie in 2011, the original television run had already been closed off in style: a sun-scorched Malia finale, a record-breaking opening weekend at the UK box office, and a fairly clean send-off for four of the most recognisable comedy characters British television had produced in years. Returning for a second film three years later was always going to invite the obvious question of whether there was genuinely more story to tell, or whether it was simply a matter of following the money. The Inbetweeners 2 (2014) picks up with Will, Simon, Neil and Jay scattered into their post-sixth-form lives, each finding adulthood rather less glamorous than advertised. A typically overblown email from Jay, claiming to be living the dream on a gap year in Australia, is all the prompting they need to pack their bags and head to the other side of the world. The premise is straightforward enough, and the Australian setting gives the film a broader, sunnier canvas than Malia managed, though whether it uses that canvas wisely is another matter entirely.
Damon Beesley and Iain Morris, the co-creators of the original Channel 4 series, again take the directing duties between them, as they did on the first film. Their command of the show's particular brand of cringe comedy, the kind that makes you wince and laugh at almost the same moment, was well established over three television series, and their familiarity with these characters is evident throughout. The production brought together Film4, Zodiak Rights and Bwark Productions, and was shot on location in Australia (a country that, incidentally, has provided a rather different kind of backdrop in other films covered on this site, from the brutal tension of We Bury the Dead to the absurdist chaos of Street Fighter). The film runs at 96 minutes and carries the tagline "Four reasons to get out of Australia", which tells you more or less everything you need to know about its ambitions. This is not a film trying to reinvent anything. It wants to do what the series and its predecessor did, transplant it somewhere warmer, and see what sticks.
The four leads, Simon Bird, James Buckley, Blake Harrison and Joe Thomas, slip back into their respective roles with a comfort that is both reassuring and, depending on your tolerance, potentially part of the problem. Bird's Will remains the self-appointed voice of reason, perpetually mortified; Buckley's Jay is all bluster and borderline-offensive fantasy; Harrison's Neil is cheerfully oblivious in ways that continue to generate some of the series' best throwaway moments; and Thomas's Simon carries the weight of the more grounded, if equally disastrous, romantic subplot. Emily Berrington joins the cast as a new presence in Will's orbit. The ensemble dynamic that made the television show work is still recognisable here, polished but unremarkable in its execution, relying heavily on the goodwill audiences already have banked with these characters rather than doing a great deal to develop them further.
It’s not bad… but it’s definitely not great. More like meh, with a few proper laughs sprinkled in. There are definitely moments that land (Will playing the guitar, Neil feeding dolphins a burger). Those bits still scratch that Inbetweeners itch. And any time Simon gets humiliated or Jay says something monumentally stupid, you can’t help but chuckle. But let’s be honest, a lot of this feels like retreading old ground. The gang’s still clueless, still desperate, still failing at life, but it starts to feel less awkwardly real and more just… repetitive. Some jokes fall flat, some subplots go nowhere, and the whole thing occasionally feels like a long, slightly tired reunion special. And yeah the "poo in the face" gag? Funny? Sure. Original? Not even close. It’s basically a direct lift from Kevin & Perry Go Large , which did it bigger and dafter nearly 20 years earlier. It’s still watchable, especially if you’re with mates and just want a few easy laughs. But compared to the first film? This one’s definitely the second-best effort.
I'll admit I went in hoping it might surprise me more than it did. There is genuine affection to be had here, and the moments that work really do work, but you leave with the nagging sense that this was a team playing it safe rather than swinging for something a bit more memorable. Compared to what other comedies have managed, such as the sharp, chaotic energy found in something like The Raid 2, which took its own sequel in an entirely different direction, the reluctance to take any real risks feels like a missed opportunity. Still, if you put it on with a beer and the right company, you will laugh. Just maybe not as hard as you did the first time round.
Rating: ★★★ | Year: 2014 | Watched: 2025-05-16
Trailer
▶ Watch the official trailer for The Inbetweeners 2 (2014) on YouTube
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
Rent: Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · Sky Store · YouTube
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Google Play Movies · Sky Store
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi
Watch in the US
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Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US
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Related on Movies With Macca
More with Simon Bird: The Inbetweeners Movie (2011)
More from Australia: Ocean with David Attenborough (2025) · Street Fighter (1994) · We Bury the Dead (2024) · Bluey at the Cinema: Playdates with Friends (2026)
More from the 2010s: Wonder (2017) · Beautiful Boy (2018) · The Witch (2015) · What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
More comedy: The Eagle (1925) · The General (1926) · Americana (2023) · The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
