Starring: Rosamund Pike, David Tennant, Billy Connolly, Ben Miller
What We Did On Our Holiday
Director: Andy Hamilton & Guy Jenkin
Rating:3/5
What We Did On Our Holiday was a movie that hit the big screen back in September 2014, and was one of the British movies that really did win over critics and audiences last year.
I have to say, the trailer depicted the movie as a light-hearted romp about a dysfunctional family, but you will be surprised by the path in which What We Did On Our Holiday goes down and some of the themes that it explores - it certainly wasn't what I was expecting.
Doug (Tennant) and Abi (Pike) and their three children travel to the Scottish Highlands for Doug's father Gordie's (Connolly) birthday party, where it's soon clear that when it comes to keeping their secret under wraps their children are their biggest liability.
From nine year old Lottie's notebook to keep track of the lies so she remembers which ones to tell, to four year old Jess's perverse attachment to a brick named Norman, for their parents a week has never seemed such a long time.
But it's middle child Mickey and his granddad's shared passion for Vikings which gives rise to the most far-reaching and unexpected consequences. When a day at the beach turns to tragedy, the children take matters into their own hands.
Don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike this movie but I didn't like it as much as I was hoping that I would as it wasn't at all what I was expecting.
I like it when a movie delivers something that you are not expecting, and the beach scenes with the three children are some of the best in the film, as they make a huge decision that only honours the wishes of their grandfather.
It is these moments on the beach that are the most heartfelt and thought provoking of the whole film and sees youngsters Emilia Jones, Bobby Smalldridge, and Harriet Turnbull give terrific performances, as they are faced with a situation that they could never have prepared for.
Away from the moments on the beach, the movie does tackle themes such as dysfunctional family, sibling rivalries and the battle between husband and wife in a way that we have seen many time before. Not to mention, this movie really didn't have me laughing as much as I was expecting it to - having said that, Billy Connolly is on fine form.
What We Did On Our Holiday is an engaging family comedy but the second half of the film does suffer from a bit of a lull and sadly loses momentum - it really does descend into a bit of chaos as it loses its way. This is a film that has lots of charm and is well worth a watch.