What We Did On Our Holiday *** (2014, David Tennant, Rosamund Pike, Billy Connolly) – Movie Review

David Tennant and Rosamund Pike star as Doug and Abi, a married couple with big issues, who drive to the Scottish Highlands with their three quirky children for the birthday party of Doug’s father Gordie (Billy Connolly). He’s very ill – though you’d never know it – and it’s his last.

TV veteran writer-directors Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin’s sitcom turns out to be a breezy, life-affirming comedy about a man dying of cancer. This idea is pretty hard to take. Comedies about people dying of cancer are the least amusing of all movies.

Also hard to take, but a lot more ‘real’ seeming are the unpleasant characters played by the two normally charming star actors Tennant and Pike, who lose audience sympathy early on and never regain it. They’re both really frosty and so it’s hard to give a damn about them. The film’s tragic moments and dysfunctional scenes are inevitably a huge downer. The couple’s bathroom argument rings with truth, and it’s well played by both actors, but it’s tough to make it work in a comedy.

However, the three young kids (Bobby Smalldridge, Amelia Bullmore and Emilia Jones) are unexpectedly winsome and hilarious, and the film’s entire middle section with them spending quality time with dear old grandpa is a treat. And expert scene-stealer Connolly gives a polished gem of a performance that makes all this work beautifully. Practised veterans Celia Imrie and Annette Crosbie also help out on the sitcom front. The quality cast and their switched-on performances really help a .lot.

Andy Hamilton is married to Libby Asher since 1988 and by coincidence they have three children. He worked with Guy Jenkin on Outnumbered (2007) and Drop the Dead Donkey (1990).

© Derek Winnert 2014 Movie Review

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