(spoiler free)
From the crude mind that gave birth to hugely successful British television series ‘The Inbetweeners’ comes new summer comedy ‘The Festival’ surely hoping to reach similar levels of success. However, would it end up being the headliner of the summer cinema line-up or a forgotten support act who’d fail to entertain the crowds?
The narrative overall and in its more specific details may as well be an ‘Inbetweeners’ spin-off entitled ‘Simon goes to a Festival’. It all seems too familiar with Joe Thomas feeling like he’s simply reprising his role as the hopeless Simon Cooper, sure even his on screen girlfriend, Hannah Tointon, from the TV series features here…as you’ve guessed it, his girlfriend! Without the context of the film, so many scenes could have been lifted straight out of the television series. Although where the characters in ‘The Inbetweeners’ were likeable or at least entertaining to watch the same can’t be said for ‘The Festival’. Unfortunately none of the characters are fun to watch, most are irritating and will annoy audiences for the majority of the film. I’ll admit that they do become bearable towards the end of the film but previously you just never care enough about them so watching their antics unfold is often boring and quickly becomes monotonous.
For a film within the comedy genre it’s remarkably unfunny. I failed to laugh even once throughout the duration of the film. Similarly like the characters nearing the conclusion of the film the gags do get better, with some being at least amusing and resulting in a smile on my face and maybe a small exhale resembling some kind of giggle but it’s just too little too late because by this stage you don’t even want to find anything funny. Although one cameo performance in particular almost redeemed the film with its unexpected effective use of visual comedy. Despite this the highlight of the film is actually the use of festival favourite ‘Mr. Brightside’ by The Killers as part of the soundtrack. However the use of this anthem doesn’t feel earned at all and it’s simply a welcome break from the mind-numbing character interactions and injects some much needed pace and energy into the film.
If the remaining Inbetweeners had of been recruited and it been marketed as another film in that series rather than pretending to be something new and different ‘The Festival’ might have worked. Unfortunately it’s all too similar to what has come before it and never as funny. There are a couple of amusing moments but nowhere near enough to make it worth recommending. There was good potential here with plenty of relatable humour to work with but the reluctance to let go from what it knows is the film’s biggest downfall.
Written by Hamish Calvert
Rating – 2/10
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