What We Did on our Holiday

Directors: Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin
Writers: Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin
Released: September 2014
Starring: David Tennant, Rosamund Pike and Billy Connolly
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Like my horse, it’s funny at the beginning, saggy in the middle and a bit crappy at the end.

This is a film – featuring the spectacular David Tennant (Dr. Who!!) and Rosamund Pike – about a family of five going on holiday to Scotland for the grandfather’s 75th birthday party.

Long story short, the parents are having a divorce but only the children know, and they are sworn to secrecy while visiting their sickly grandfather so as to keep his final years pleasant.

Pike plays the mum, Abi, Tennant as the dad, Doug, and Billy Connolly as the granddad, Gordie.

Abi and Doug have three children, the easiest way to describe them is as the intelligent and serious one, the creative one and the youngest and funniest one. Sort of like in that Lemoney Snicket movie A Series of Unfortunate Events.

I found the first third of the movie hilarious – such a typical English comedy. It reminded me of About a Boy. I was laughing out loud watching it on the plane and everything. (Although, that was after two bourbon and cokes…)

After that, it got quite slow. The drama began to set in, but there wasn’t enough at stake, perhaps, for the audience to feel to effected?

Nevertheless, the script was amazing. Some fantastic one-liners! For example, the youngest child has a brick and a rock as friends:

Doug: Have you seen anybody about this?
Abi: Like a geologist?

And a whooooooole other bunch of funny lines, which I can’t find on the internet for you because it’s a newish film.

I think this movie has great intentions, and it was almost awesome from beginning to end, with philosophical and comedic moments.

Jodie’s rating: 6/10

 

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