The second instalment of the The Inbetweeners franchise hit our screens 3 years after the original movie. Struggling to acclimatise to the new student life, Will, Simon, and Neil decide to trek half-way across the world and join Jay on his Australian gap year adventures.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfJxwhzgvS4?rel=0]
Rather predictably, Jay strings together an elaborate fantasy life full of sex, money, and alcohol, fooling no-one but the embarrassingly gullible Neil. This sequence is unnecessarily drawn out, making it almost painful to watch. In general the first 20 minutes just seem like a regurgitation of the same jokes we’ve come to know from the TV series and the film’s predecessor. There are only so many times you can listen to the same sexist, misogynistic, insulting rape jokes before it begins to get tedious and frankly uncomfortable.
But if you can manage to sit through the troublesome beginning, what follows may make up for it. The Inbetweeners 2 finds its strength in emotionally heartfelt scenes between the main characters, something we get a hint of in the first film. The most memorable scenes arise out of confrontations and tumultuous relationships, rather than the forced humour underlying the narrative. After all, it’s been six years since the boys first burst on to our screens in the critically acclaimed television series of the same name, and it feels about time that we caught a glimpse of their more vulnerable sides.
Perhaps the most distinctly ‘inbetweeners-ish’ scene of the whole film, and unsurprisingly the scene that generates the biggest laugh, involves a high pressure water slide and a serious case of irritable bowel syndrome – the outcome of which isn’t the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen on the big screen.
Familiar faces from the first film return, in particular the characters of Lucy and Jane. Despite his best efforts to portray himself as a ‘lad’ living the dream life of a young bachelor, Jay finds himself confessing his heartbreak over a lost love to his friends. However, you can’t help but feel slightly disappointed with the end result. Questions about the fate of these returning characters, and more importantly their relationships with the unruly boys, are left hanging in the air. It almost seems like these female characters are mere plot devices used to instigate turns in the narrative and fuel the importance of the men, something that is all too familiar in the industry today.
All in all, The Inbetweeners 2 is an apt follow on from its predecessor. The emotional undertones throughout provide a well-needed respite from the in-your-face comedy we’ve grown to know and love, and if you’re looking for a light-hearted film to watch with your mates on a Friday night, then look no further.
Words by Sophie Mace.