But stereotypes are fun. Comedy is based on spotting the thing that most people can identify with and exploiting it. For example, when Harry Enfield did his Kevin and Perry characters parents of teenage boys nodded sagely and consoled each other with, "just like my boy." It was such a good stereotype and fitted with so many parent's experience that it became an expected right of passage. Parents of girls who behaved like Kevin were a little ashamed to admit it but to have a male Kevin gave parental bragging rights that were worthy of an Olympic gold medal.
Inbetweeners was another comedy classic that focused on stereotypical British boys. It worked because we could identify. We had all known a Will, Jay, Simon or Neil. Instead of a binary choice we were given more of an archetypal study of the teenage male but there were still 'truths' that could only be applied to boys.
When I was at college a piece of research was published that said men think about sex every seven seconds. We sat in the bar discussing it. Laughing. The blokes putting their hand up everytime they thought about sex. The women didn't join in and kept our lusty thoughts to ourselves but I'm sure I wasn't the only one whose thoughts became X-rated every time one of the blokes raised their hand. There were some in the group who hardly raised their hand at all but we ignored them because it didn't fit our stereotype. That was the night we invented VOMit: vodka, orange, martini and tonic water (it). It was nice and after ten did exactly what it said on the tin.
The Inbetweeners movie was a typical right-of-passage-post-A-level holiday, set on a Greek island. It was the kind of holiday my daughter had; clubbing, drinking, kissing and getting sunburnt.
However, for every four stereotypical post A level holiday there will be one that doesn't conform. It might be hiking up Ben Nevis, volunteering in a refugee camp in Calais, sitting in a tent, stoned at Croprody or walking around every city you can get to on public transport catching Pokemon. My son has gone on one this morning. He and four friends have flown to Warsaw airport, where they will be met by their school friend and taken to his Grandad's farm. I like to think this alternative Inbetweeners will include rights of passage that would still make wonderful comedy. I imagine them sitting round a fire drinking Polish vodka, discussing the meaning of life of an evening and being set farm related challenges during the day. Whatever they do I hope they have a wonderful time before the reality of exam results day kicks in.
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