For a good chuckle, see WHAT WE DID ON OUR HOLIDAY. This inter-generational comedy reflects back to the audience familiar family chaos among issues of loyalty, honesty, keeping up appearances, how much you protect children and whether it really matters in the end anyway.
Set in the scenic north of Scotland, the smooth rolling green landscape and score belies the family conflicts ahead.
Doug and Abi take their three children on a car trip for a big family gathering for his father Gordie’s 75th birthday. The biggest secret they are trying to hide is that they are divorcing. This film unravels this and other secrets, much to the horror of their eldest daughter, Lottie, who diarises the many lies told by her parents.
Gordie who is terminally ill is more resilient, defiantly honest and adventurous, which makes him very attractive to his grandchildren.
Inspired by her grandfather, Lottie leads her two siblings, Mickey and Jess to perform a confronting act. This act shocks the family, and forces them into performing as a relatively cohesive family again.
Techniques used in TV sitcoms, to ensure frequent humour are displayed by co writers and directors, Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin. All main actors, including the children play their characters well within the parameters that, as often happens in the genre, are somewhat two-dimensional.
David Tennant and Rosamund Pike are the arguing parents attempting to keep their separation secret from Billy Connolly’s Gordie for fear that this news would ruin his birthday party.
Emilia Jones, Bobby Smallridge and Harriet Turnbull play the children who are suitably precocious, mini-adults yet inevitably naive. They come accompanied by pet rocks, and generate their own kid humour.
Ben Miller plays the tense rich brother Gavin. Amelia Bullmore plays his wife, Margaret, who has her secrets inadvertently revealed to the gathered party-goers almost as a justification for being part of this family.
The family is destabilised not just from within, but after the kids adventure, from outside as well. It is in the blackest moments of the film that the biggest belly laughs are to be had. This tale of morals would not be a feel-good movie without what is perhaps an overly sentimental final scene.
At a run time of 95 minutes, there are enough laughs, humour, warmth and pathos for it to be a worthwhile feel good movie. WHAT WE DID ON OUR HOLIDAY opens nationally in cinemas on 12th February, 2015.