The Inbetweeners - Our Virgin Years Season 1 - DVD

Content: When Will (Simon Bird) has to transfer to a public school, an absolute nightmare begins for him. On his very first day at Rudge Park Comprehensive School, he doesn't miss a beat in embarrassing himself in front of his new classmates and his teachers. But at least he also manages to make three new friends, though they are only marginally more popular than he is: Jay (James Buckley), who seems to be completely controlled by his hormones and can only talk about sex, girls and their private parts. The somewhat naive Neil (Blake Harrison), who likes to overshoot the mark with his unabashed nature. And finally Simon (Joe Thomas), who at first glance seems to be the most sensible of the bunch. But whenever his big crush Carly (Emily Head) is around, Simon's mind goes and he maneuvers himself from one embarrassing situation to the next. Together, the foursome brave the adversities that come with being teenagers. Parties, driving licences, first times, truancy, a memorable camping trip and many other experiences make this school year particularly eventful...

From 2008 to 2010, the Inbetweeners, created by Damon Beesley and Iain Morris, experienced all the highs and lows of teenage life for three seasons. As over-the-top as some of the blunders Will and his pals always unerringly put their foot in may be, the embarrassments accumulated in the series are closer to reality than one might like. Admittedly, some of the gags are too raunchy, and the fact that the episode The Trailer Club in particular relies heavily on fecal humor doesn't really have a positive impact. But many male viewers can probably relate to Simon's cramped attempts to get close to Carly. And a dumbass like Jay, who hides his insecurity behind big sayings, probably exists in every clique, too.

Even if the whole thing reminds here and there strongly of American Pie - especially Will seems to be very much based on the Jim played by Jason Biggs - and even if the humor seems to be heavily exaggerated at times, there is something that saves the series from being just another flat teen comedy: the show has a lot of self-irony and a lot of heart. The irony is especially evident in Will's off-camera commentary, but there's also more clever wordplay hidden in the rest of the dialogue at times than you'd expect in this genre. That this is a little lost in the countless variants of terms for the female anatomy and the beautiful things you can do with her, is a pity, but can be forgiven in view of the still numerous successful moments.

Anyone who has ever had a crush on an attractive teacher, fallen for the prettiest girl in school, made a nasty faux pas at a party, failed to notice when someone was clearly hitting on you, or who has been put in really embarrassing situations by their parents, will definitely find themselves in this multiple award-winning series. Certainly not the stuff of fine minds who blush at even the most innocuous swearing. But if you don't mind the rather coarse language and sometimes very raunchy humor, this first season of the Inbetweeners can be warmly recommended. And those who quickly fall for the stories about the loser clique need not worry: Seasons 2 and 3 are also still announced for 2012 - and there is also the movie!

Picture + Sound: The technical implementation of the first season is on a decent TV level. The picture has a coherent color scheme, here and there are slight blurring and minimal image noise. But for a comedy series, the very clean image leaves a good impression. The same goes for the audio, with the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix primarily dominated by the dialogue. The surround channels are only stressed by the music and very occasionally by rather discreet ambient noises. Good!

Extras: In addition to the six episodes of the first season, the DVD also has just under an hour of entertaining bonus material to offer. It starts with a 20-minute making of, which takes an amusing look at the filming and the creation of the first season. In addition, there are video diaries of the four main actors (approx. 21 min.), as well as some amusing statements of the actors about their career so far and their colleagues (approx. 7 min.). The whole thing is rounded off with a few short cut scenes (approx. 3 min.), a touch of outtakes (approx. 30 sec.) and the trailer for the feature film of the series, the comedy Sex on the Beach. A very entertaining and comprehensive bonus package in itself, with only the lack of optional German subtitles marring the enjoyment.

Conclusion: The first season of the British comedy series The Inbetweeners - Our Virgin Years deals in a very amusing, albeit rather crude and raunchy way, with the hurdles boys have to overcome on their way from teenager to man. How embarrassing and pathetic this can be at times, the series captures with much charm. Nevertheless, the series is hardly recommended to fine spirits, since many gags are clearly below the belt. The DVD of the first season has besides the six episodes still very entertaining bonus material to offer, which is however presented without subtitles. Not only for their hormones maltreated boys recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp