Pretty Good

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

Marc Wootton returns as the childlike incompetent teacher's assistant Mr Poppy and irritates the hell out of everyone including this viewer.David Tennant in a dual role is the new teacher Mr Donald Peterson who is tormented by Mr Poppy and ends up taking the schoolkids over the mountains of Wales to enter the National 'Song for Christmas' Competition, mainly because Mr Shakespeare from the posh rival school switched the road signs.However Mr Shakespeare meets his match in Mr Roderick Peterson, a celebrated musical director, also a cheat and Donald's twin brother who conspires to do whatever it takes to succeed.The film gives the impression that it had a semi finished script with some ad libbing from the kids. You get a bit of riffing of The X Factor audition stage. The infantile plot runs out of steam long before the finish line but then you end up with a lot of singing and dancing from the kids. All very forgettable and I doubt even the kids would enjoy it much.

Life is full of awful, scary, and full of serious things. You know what is refreshing? A bit of mindless watching that is not important or meaningful or relevant. Sometimes we just need silly fun. Stupid, silly, completely unbelievable fun. This ridiculous movie makes my children laugh. And it makes me laugh. It even makes my husband laugh (no mean feat). There are a lot of talented, serious, and celebrated actors in this movie who are not taking themselves seriously. And isn't that refreshing!The show itself is the highlight. So many clichés. Jessica Hynes arriving on the stage sitting in a flying wreath as the child singing sensation who's never moved on... The bleak, Dickensian number... The important classical piece... the totally awful rap number... and my favorite, "All I Want is Christmas Stuff". HAHAHAHAHA. And of course, TWO David Tennants.Don't be a Scrooge. Have some fun.

Saw the first one which was OK, not brilliant, but OK. This is drivel. I'd forgotten how annoying is Mr Poppy. Why is seeing an adult behaving like a 6 year old in the slightest bit funny? Discovering he can then drive is frightening, and ridiculous (a really obvious bit of product placement for London duck tours here).The message is class warfare at its worst - posh private school kids deserve to lose, hurry for the talentless state school kids with a heart.So... is it funny for under 10's? Quite possibly if they are rather unusual (most kids HATE being patronised, and that's what this film does to children), mine didn't find it that funny or cute.Nothing else to add really, off to watch Kick Ass 2 here and remind myself that I'm an adult.

Not normally one for writing film reviews but having just watched this with the kids felt compelled to defend it (to a certain extent).The key word is KIDS film.Mine are 3 and 6 and they both sat laughing the whole way through and immediately wanted it on again when it finished.That,in my book,is a good enough measure of a children's film rather than expecting it to have lots of subtle gags that adults would appreciate.Having said that,being that I'm a bit silly natured myself,I found it amusing enough in places to keep me watching alongside them without wishing for the end too much.The story line is beyond ridiculous but if you're after a good hearted film to get you in the Christmas mood with your kids you could do worse.