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Picking up an undisclosed amount of time after The Inbetweeners Movie, this sequel checks in with Will (Simon Bird) and Simon (Joe Thomas), who are studying at University, while Neil (Blake Harrison) works in a bank and Jay (James Buckley) is living in Australia for a gap year. Three of the boys are single again, while Jay is intensely unhappy in his relationship with the obsessive and abusive Lucy (Tamla Kari). After Jay sends an email bragging about his successes in the land Down Under, his three friends decide to fly to Sydney for a visit. Although Jay was lying and exaggerating about his lifestyle, the boys set out to make the most of their time together in Australia. After Will reunites with a former private school friend, the attractive Katie (Emily Berrington), the four lads begin their holiday with a trip to Byron Bay, sparking a series of misadventures that eventually lead them to the Australian Outback.
Since The Inbetweeners 2 involves Will, Simon and Neil taking up Jay's offer to visit him despite his outlandish, clearly unbelievable claims about his exploits in Australia, the story contains shades of the episode The Caravan Club, though the results are far less successful. By necessity, The Inbetweeners 2 rolls back the happy ending of The Inbetweeners Movie, with things not having worked out between the boys and their respective girlfriends. The development may not sit right for fans, especially those wanting a happy and definitive ending for the boys. Lucy's character assassination is likewise an uneasy development, turning the affectionate and endearing character from the first movie into a cheating psycho. The dynamic never yields meaty laughs, making it feel all the more unnecessary.
Despite its flaws, Beesley and Morris thankfully devise several memorable comedic set pieces for The Inbetweeners 2, consistently pushing the boundaries with scenes involving poo, urine, vomit, and all manner of vulgar language. The Splash Planet sequence is the movie's comedic highlight, feeling like classic Inbetweeners through and through, including the side-splitting use of Adagio in G Minor. The picture is at its strongest during the first two acts, as the pacing is mostly brisk, and the flick recaptures the magical spark of the series and previous movie, delivering laughs with relative ease. Beesley and Morris still understand what makes The Inbetweeners funny, allowing Jay to go nuts with his crude dialogue while awkward situations abound, especially as Will continually gets into trouble. The script also pokes fun at things like expensive mobile phone charges while overseas. However, the laughs are distinctly more intermittent than previous Inbetweeners outings, with only a few genuine laugh-out-loud moments. More pertinently, the film is less successful once it transitions to the Australian Outback during the third act, as the pacing grinds to an unmistakable halt and the sense of fun wanes.
The Inbetweeners 2 takes advantage of shooting in Australia, showing off picturesque locations in Circular Quay, Byron Bay, the Gold Coast, and the expansive Australian Outback. (Reportedly, the directors considered filming in South Africa, but this thankfully did not come to pass. The authenticity of the Australian locations greatly contributes to the charm.) With the film retaining cinematographer Ben Wheeler (who shot The Inbetweeners Movie and several episodes of the original series), the visuals carry an appropriate cinematic gloss to ensure it does not look like a glorified television movie. There are fun visual flourishes at times, such as a single-shot tour of Jay's (fictitious, fantastical) Australian lifestyle and the shadowy opening credits featuring some of the boys in Harry Potter outfits. The actors give it their all, with the four boys slipping back into their infamous roles effortlessly. Simon Bird again provides voiceover throughout the movie, and the cast features several returning performers from the original series, including Belinda Stewart-Wilson as Will's mother and the inimitable David Schaal as Jay's outspoken father. Also joining the cast is recognisable Australian actor David Field (Chopper, Gettin' Square), who's hilarious as Jay's Uncle Bryan, bringing an authentic Aussie flavour to the character. Another top-notch addition is Anthony Simcoe, who steals the show despite appearing only briefly towards the end of the film as a foul-mouthed outback farmer.
Presumably concluding The Inbetweeners for good (such crude, offensive content would probably not fly anymore), The Inbetweeners 2 does not devise a stereotypically happy ending for the boys. The conclusion is optimistic, but they all remain single, though this ending feels more in keeping with the show's modus operandi. It is a shame that The Inbetweeners 2 is such a mixed bag, particularly considering how much material was excised to craft the movie's final 92-minute runtime (the Blu-ray contains 35 minutes of deleted scenes). There is just enough here to justify watching it at least once, but it is not as rewatchable as the preceding film.
6.2/10
