O Que Nós Fizemos no Nosso Feriado

We all loved this - me, my friend and my 2 daughters, 13 and 11. It's about a warring couple on the brink of divorce who take their three young children on holiday to Scotland to visit the husband's father, who has terminal cancer, on the occasion of his 75th birthday. It turns into an even more surprising birthday than anyone has imagined. David Tennant, Rosamund Pike, Billie Connolly, Ben Miller and Amelia Bullmore are all wonderful actors playing their parts to perfection and the children were as stunningly natural and funny as the children in the TV series Outnumbered. Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin had a great idea and have turned it into a funny and moving film. An extremely poignant scene was beautifully acted and directed and there were a fair few belly laughs as well as tears shed. There was some swearing but nothing worse than they hear routinely at secondary school, so though it was rated 12A I was never uncomfortable I'd taken my 11 year old daughter. Go and see it!

What We Did on Our Holiday is written and directed by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin. It stars Rosamund Pike, David Tennant, Billy Connolly, Ben Miller, Amelia Bullmore, Emilia Jones, Bobby Smalldridge, Harriet Turnbull and Celia Imrie. Music is by Alex Heffes and cinematography by Martin Hawkins.

"The truth is, every human being on this planet is ridiculous in their own way. So we shouldn't judge, we shouldn't fight, because in the end... in the end, none of it matters. None of the stuff"

Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin spin off from their hugely popular sit-com, Outnumbered, to produce this funny, philosophical and moving picture. Tennant and Pike play parents of three young children, they are pending a divorce, but with Doug's (Tennant) father, Gordie (Connolly), dying of cancer, the family head to Scotland for what will surely be his last birthday party. Hoping to put on a united front so as to not upset Gordie any further, nobody could envisage what was to happen next...

It's a film that some no doubt find easy to kick, such is the uncomplicated structure used, and the formula of messaging that drives it forward. Yet sometimes uncomplicated is all you need, and in this day and age of mega-buck blockbusters and soulless frat type comedies grasping at sex for laughs, this is a film of refreshing qualities. It's superbly performed by what is a top notch group of adult British actors, who in turn are supplemented by three child actors so natural and engaging it makes you wonder if acting school is really needed?

It's obviously a piece that will resonate more with those who have been touched/stung by the thematics at work, while the comedy ticking away - with some truly great lines uttered - could seem a bit off kilter for the unprepared, but hopefully more will watch it, laugh and cry and ultimately realise that life really is too short for, well, you get the picture I'm sure. 8/10

I will always think of this as a feature-length 2.4 Children. It made me laugh aloud, it made me shed a tear. There was one tiny subplot that wasn't tied up (Odin) which lost it a point, but well worth seeing. Family friendly, because, honestly, what kid hasn't heard swearing before?

The kids are fabulous, the adults are insane and the whole mess of a birthday party is hilariously tragic. I will happily look out for more films by this writer/director pair.

Have a watch of this film. A slight niggle is the unrealistic speed with which they navigated the M25. That just doesn't happen in real life, though the standstill traffic on the M1 was spot on.

What makes this movie a hoot? Three adorable children who comprehend the world with their own little brains, see relationships with their own beady innocent eyes, and act on their reckless instincts and innocent unbloomed knowledge. What We Did on Our Holiday is a delightful perspective into the abyss of the broken that skims its aftermath gorgeously.

David Tennant looks the right kind of perplexed in the comedy trying to figure out his children and marriage whilst Rosamund Pike complements him beautifully with her engaged acting. Ben Miller as Gavin is brilliant as well. Billy Connolly ices the funny storyline with his pizazz and brilliant comic timing.

The screenplay is witty, subtle and snappy. The good thing about its humour is that the entire film, unlike other comedies, is not build on a slapstick foundation. The theme of the movie sometimes goes really thoughtful from sheer comedy which further furbishes the rhythm. The plot will make you giggle per se without any extra addition to the story.

If you look at the downsides, sometimes you do hope the drama to be a little bit more grave. It lacks profundity, but considering it a Comedy, this fact can be overlooked.

A brilliant comedy that is compelled to traverse the 'outstanding category' by the mere cuteness rush of Harriet Turnbull and Bobby Smalldridge. This Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin project is a definite go go!

From the great cast and idea, as well as the trailer being as entertaining as it was, What We Did On Our Holiday did look really promising. And it didn't disappoint, one or two tonal shifts jar just a tad and the material for David Tennant and Rosamund Pike wasn't quite as strong as that for the children and Billy Connolly(though it wasn't at all bad either) but it's a lovely film overall that entertains and touches. What We Did On Our Holiday is well-shot, never doing too much or too little, complementing the gorgeous scenery adeptly, while the soundtrack is appropriately understated and the film's sympathetically directed, allowing the story to resonate, the script to sparkle, accommodating the actors and using the idea to its full potential. There is a perfect balance of humour and pathos in the script, the humour especially with the children is often laugh-out-loud funny and the dramatic pathos parts are genuinely poignant. The story always engages and apart from at the end slightly it never feels too predictable, there are a number of surprises and What We Did On Our Holiday has a lot to say about family life and deals with it sympathetically and warmly in a way that allows us to completely identify with the situation and the characters, who all have a great amount of likability. The performances are excellent with the interplay between the actors even stronger, the chemistry between Connolly and the children is just adorable. David Tennant and Rosamund Pike are fine though Connolly and the children make much more of an impact, mainly due to better material. Connolly is very funny and also very moving, not just the character's situation which is enough to break anybody's heart but also it felt like a personal performance with Connolly being as gifted at comedy as he is and his ailing health. The children steal the show, Harriet Turnball is just hilarious and Emilia Jones also plays her role with a lot of charm. All in all, a lovely film that promised a good deal and delivers even more. 8/10 Bethany Cox