The Inbetweeners Movie (2011)

If you asked me right now to pick between this and Superbad for funniest film ever made, I'd genuinely hesitate. And I think that hesitation says everything you need to know about The Inbetweeners Movie.

There's a specific kind of comedy that only works when it's completely, ruthlessly honest about how painful and stupid and horny and clueless being a teenager actually is. No glossing over it, no making the lads secretly cool underneath it all, no redemptive arc that smooths out the rough edges. This film just commits, fully and fearlessly, to the mess. Will, Simon, Jay and Neil are a perfectly mismatched disaster squad, and watching them stumble, embarrass themselves and fail upwards in Malia is both relentlessly funny and, somehow, oddly heartwarming. That balance is harder to pull off than it looks.

What strikes me every time I watch it is how relatable it all feels, even if your own teenage years looked nothing like theirs. You don't need to have been a hormonal, clueless, emotionally stunted lad in the early 2000s to recognise the desperate energy these four bring to every situation. The specific details are theirs. The feeling is universal. That's what separates good comedy from great comedy.

From the moment they arrive on that Greek island, it's one catastrophe after another, and the film never lets up. Some of the lines have genuinely passed into British comedy folklore at this point. "I stopped believing in God when I realised it was just dog backwards." Delivered perfectly, landed perfectly, never gets old. The script is packed with moments like that, lines that sound like they could have come from an actual conversation between four mates who have absolutely no idea what they're doing. That naturalism in the comedy writing is a big part of why it works so well.

The chemistry between the four leads is the other part. Without that, none of this functions. Their decisions are horrifyingly believable, their dynamic is genuinely affectionate underneath all the cruelty, and you find yourself rooting for them even when (especially when) they're being absolute idiots. It's crude and it's cringeworthy and it's absolutely glorious for both of those reasons.

I'll be honest, it's not deep. It's not going to win any Academy Awards, and it was never trying to. But being properly, consistently, gut-bustingly funny is its own achievement, and it's one a lot of films aim for and miss by miles. This one hits the target over and over again. I'd put it comfortably up there with the best British comedies ever made on those grounds alone.

The one caveat I'd offer is that it works best if you've got some familiarity with the series. The film doesn't really stop to bring you up to speed, and it doesn't need to, but newcomers might take a few minutes to get their bearings with who these people are and why their particular dynamic is so funny. Stick with it. It pays off. And if you find yourself wanting more once the credits roll, I also reviewed The Inbetweeners 2, which tries to do it all again on an even bigger scale.

Four and a half stars. An all-time great.

Rating: ★★★★½  | Year: 2011  | Watched: 2025-05-16

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Where to watch

Watch in the UK
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
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Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi

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