WHAT WE DID ON OUR HOLIDAY
Directors: Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin
Cast: Billy Connolly, Rosamund Pike, David Tennant, Ben Miller, Amelia Bullmore, Emilia Jones, Bobby Smalldridge, Harriet Turnbull, Lewis Davie, Annette Crosbie
Rating: (PG)
Five stars (out of five)
The publicity for What We Did On Our Holiday (Rialto and Metro) emphasises that it is from the creators of the television show Outnumbered, a show I missed, yet when the credits rolled at the end and I saw that Andy Hamilton was a co-director I thought well no wonder I loved this because he is one of my favourite guest panellists on QI.
What I like about Hamilton's humour is that he sneaks up to the joke, and What We Did On Our Holiday takes a similar approach.
It seems to muck around - getting the children in the car so the holiday can begin takes almost as long as it would in real life - but we soon realise the journey will be as entertaining as the destination, at least for the audience.
Doug (David Tennant) and Abi (Rosamund Pike) have split up but have omitted to tell his family in Scotland because his father Gordy (Billy Connolly) is unwell.
When his brother Gavin (Ben Miller) arranges a 75th birthday party for Gordy they decide the best thing to do is to go as a family and pretend to still be together.
It is a mad plan which totally fails to take into account that their three children are verbally dexterous and unable to keep other people's secrets.
In Scotland it is just as complicated and things go in a direction that makes you sit up in disbelief at the audacity, but we are in a safe pair of hands, so by the end you are pleased that these people get their sort of happy ending.
- Christine Powley
