The McLeon family indeed has an unusual summer holiday: Doug (David Tennant) and Abi (Rosamund Pike) are in the middle of a divorce, ask their kids to play a happy, intact family for their grandfather’s (Billy Connolly) 75th birthday party in Scotland. They don't want to upset the sick grandfather and ask the kids to keep the family troubles a secret from the extended family. This was a plan meant to fail. First of all, 8-year-old Mickey is mainly interested in Vikings, the youngest Jess has formed an attachment to a concrete block, and the eldest Lottie is worried about lying and is in a phase where she writes down everything her parents say or do in her notebook. Secondly, the family wreaks havoc even without hiding secrets so this added excitement really wouldn’t tip the balance. And thirdly, the grandfather is a clever chap who isn’t easily thrown off his game and doesn’t think much of rules. The writers of WHAT WE DID ON OUR HOLIDAY created a smart script with lots of energy and slapstick humour. In England the writer-director duo Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin are best known for their semi-improvised sitcom OUTNUMBERED and the film is effectively a feature-format of their smash TV hit.

Toni Ohms