Directors: Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin
Starring: Rosamund Pike, David Tennant, Ben Miller, Amelia Bullmore, Billy Connolly, Emilia Jones, Bobby Smalldridge, Harriet Turnbull
Certificate: 12A
Running Time: 95 Minutes
Synopsis: Explores the meaning of life and suggests how best to live and love.
Writer/directors Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin bring the semi-improvised style of their hit sitcom Outnumbered to the big screen in this cosy comedy drama rocked by an outrageous twist. Beleaguered pairing David Tennant and Rosamund Pike have to pretend their marriage hasn’t fallen apart when a birthday celebration for Tennant’s father (Billy Connolly) demands they travel up to the Highlands with three precocious children (Emilia Jones, Bobby Smalldridge and Harriet Turnbull). Meanwhile up in Scotland uptight millionaire brother Ben Miller and repressed wife Amelia Bullmore plan the festivities at his hi-tech country house. When the family convenes the resulting fault-lines lead to a tragic incident involving a Viking ritual and a media scrum.
The eclectic cast are excellent, with the child actors holding their own against some big names. Surprisingly any weaknesses stem from the adult characters, most of whom are chronically self-absorbed. In a sense that’s the point as the kids have to show them the error of their ways but nevertheless we do spend a lot of time in their company. Miller and Bullmore are fun but Tennant and Pike are underdeveloped. Pete and Sue Brockman in Outnumbered were relatable and could draw comic situations out of small things like e-mails and washing machines. Doug and Abi are just an extremely good-looking couple who bicker a lot and there’s little detail about their background. Hearing the porcelain Pike described as “mouthy” is a bit of a stretch.
On the more human side is Connolly. Hamilton and Jenkin wisely team him up with the youngsters and the scenes where he takes them on a beach trip are the strongest. More off the cuff stuff between the free-associating kids and a performer who’s known for his improvisation would have been welcome, but it’s here that the film really starts to say something about what’s important in life. As a big Outnumbered fan I felt the mix worked better when the scenario was dominated by the children and though the filmmakers have to expand the set up to fill ninety minutes they should have written less stereotypical characters for the little ones to rally against. The calamitous events that occur later possess the edginess for which the creative team have become known but it’s a little late. Overall the script is on the conventional side and the ending is borderline mawkish.
While not a classic, this still has enough ingredients to keep the whole family entertained and there are some decent sight gags at the gadget-obsessed Miller’s expense – most notably a round of applause that plays havoc with the lights. In translating their work to the cinema Hamilton and Jenkin have traded in some of their bite, but this is still worth more than a dozen Hollywood productions, creaking with puking teens and sexual humiliations. There’s a good scene set in a toilet though.
[usr=3] WHAT WE DID ON OUR HOLIDAY is released on September 26th.
