Doug and Abi take their kids on a family vacation. Surrounded by relatives, the kids innocently reveal the ins and outs of their family life and many intimate details about their parents. It's soon clear that when it comes to keeping a big secret under wraps from the rest of the family, their children are their biggest liability (www.imdb.com).
Directors: Andy Hamilton, Guy Jenkin
Starring: Rosamund Pike, David Tenannt, Billy Connolly
For the children in this particular family, telling their fellow school friends what they did on their holiday would be hard, if they weren't so upbeat in every situation they're in. Outnumbered writers Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin direct, giving Tennant and Pike's delightful children freedom to spitball their lines. For the most it works, juxtaposing nicely against their parents' bickering. Abi (Pike) and Doug (Tennant) are on the verge of divorcing, trying to keep it secret from the family as they head to Scotland to visit Doug's sick father (Connolly). Obviously it doesn't go their way, as arguments break out. The adults of the family all have their own personal attributes, Doug's brother is a stingy, obsessive-compulsive and his sister in-law suffers with depression. Pike and Tennant bounce off each other like a real relationship. The ones worth the watch are the three children and Billy Connolly, who hold a fine level of satire and seriousness. The middle act dips in form because of its astonishing play-out and the ending dips in to the safest of territories. Other than that What We Did on Our Holiday is hugely enjoyable, even if the subject matter is not.
3/5
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