The Inbetweeners
I recently watched the first series of The Inbetweeners. It’s a British comedy that debuted in 2008 and produced three hilariously witty series. Here’s how it rates in my book…
Storyline 3/5
The Inbetweeners chronicles the lives of four British teen boys in their quest for social acceptance and their hopes of one day attaining lots and lots of sex. The show progresses from episode to episode through the narration of its main protagonist William McKenzie(Simon Bird). The narration is a tad reminiscent of J.D. from Scrubs minus the internal monologues but it’s still a great touch to move the story along. I do find that the storyline lacks a touch of creativity. It’s the tale of teens in high school which has been portrayed on television so many times that this seems a tad redundant. The only saving graces for this storyline are the writing and the fact that its main characters are all ragingly horny males and that’s a perspective that has yet to be seen.
Writing 5/5
The dialogue written by the show’s creators, Damon Beesley and Iain Morris, is natural and filled with brilliantly witty yet atrociously crude remarks. The foul language used through the series enhances the writing rather than degrading it. Beesley and Morris integrate well known British slang that even I as a Yankee can easily understand by the context and laugh along with the beat. I never felt lost or disconnected from the show even though my familiarity with the slang isn’t as native as the writers’ target audience. Even though the writers are well out of school the writing never seems out date or out of touch with the lives of teens and young adults today. It had me laughing from the get-go and reminiscing about my glory days in high school.
Casting 3.5/5
In watching the series one opener, I was drawn in by how easy it was to relate to the lead characters and I think that’s all due to casting. I believe that each lead role was perfectly cast. This relatively fresh crop of actors is brimming with talent. The leading men in the series are Simon Bird as William McKenzie, James Buckley as Jay Cartwright, Blake Harrison as Neil Sutherland, and Joe Thomas as Simon Cooper. Bird is absolutely brilliant as the former prep school rich kid Will who is trying to keep himself from going insane by all the “stupidity” that he seems to be surrounded by in his new public school. I give Buckley kudos for his portrayal of Jay. He delivers the foulest and crudest lines in the show and each word comes out with such fluidity that you can’t imagine it being scripted. Harrison’s Neil is the quieter one of the bunch but the constant berating that he receives from his friends who believe his dad is gay makes him absolutely loveable. He has the ability to play the victim and then deliver a clever clip within the same dialogue without missing a beat. Thomas as Simon is the hopeless romantic hoping to someday win over his longtime crush even though his mouth and his friends always seem to ruin all his chances. This sad sap portrayal is the sweet to the sour that comes from the foul language glittering the series. As much as I adore the casting of the leading roles I do believe that the female counter parts cast in the series are more than lackluster. Emily Head as Carli D’Amato, Simon’s crush, is not a good fit. Most of her lines fall flat and I can tell that it is her causing the drabness in the writing rather than the writing itself. In my own opinion, I also think that a better casting job could have been done for the role of Will’s mother. She is supposed to be the mother that all the school boys lust after but I don’t find her sexy. The actress portraying her is Belinda Stewart-Wilson. She is an attractive woman but I wouldn’t call her the kind that anyone would lust after, especially not school boys. Overall the casting was well done with a few minor slips.
OVERALL 4/5
I think the writing and lead casting makes the series a worthwhile watch. I had more than my fair share of laughing fits despite the few downsides. I recommend The Inbetweeners for viewers who don’t mind foul language and are okay with crude and toilet humor.
You may enjoy The Inbetweeners if you enjoyed watching any of the following…
-The League
-Freaks and Geeks
-Shameless
No comments:
Post a Comment