Summer Holiday (1963) - film review

One summer, four young mechanics, Don, Cyril, Steve and Edwin, decide to take a double decker bus to the South of France.   If they get there successfully, the bus company they work for will allow them to start up a new business, ferrying passengers to the Côte d’Azur.  On their way, the four lithesome lads encounter three lovely lasses who make up a singing trio. The girls’ car has broken down, so Don and his mates offer to drive them to the venue of their next concert, in Athens.  They also pick up another passenger, who turns out to be a runaway singing starlet.  When the latter’s mother hears of this, she sees an immediate opportunity for a publicity coup...

The one British film that can definitely be described as something of an acquired taste, Summer Holiday is an enjoyable treat if you can stomach Cliff Richard, a miserable torment if you can’t.  To its credit, the film is a cheerful affair that really does evoke something of the fun and innocence of the early 1960s.  The dance routines are well choreographed and some of the numbers are instantly evocative of a happier age.  Unfortunately, the plot is risible beyond belief and the lack of acting talent shown by the film’s star is hard to endure, even with the palliative supplied by Lauri Peters and Una Stubbs.   In his directorial debut, Peter Yates does a competent job of helming this anodyne tribute to mediocrity but would go on to do far better in his subsequent career, his future credits including the cult Steve McQueen thriller Bullitt (1968).

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