From cult film to horror, these quirky comedies are a mix of British and international films that you'll find either amusing or downright hilarious.
1. Withnail and I 1987
Withnail and I is a cult comedy film famous for its soundtrack and quotable lines. Written and directed by Bruce Robinson, it follows two unemployed actors who share a flat in Camden Town in 1969. They ‘go on holiday by mistake’ to a country cottage in the Lake District owned by Withnail’s eccentric Uncle Monty with some memorable mishaps.
2. What We Did on Our Holiday 2014
What We Did on Our Holiday is a comedy-drama starring Billy Connolly and David Tennant. It’s a heart-warming film about a family who takes a holiday to the Scottish Highlands to visit their sick grandpa who is celebrating what may be his last birthday party. The children are the absolute stars of this show.
3. Camping 2016
Camping is a TV comedy series written and directed by and also starring Julia Davis, of Nighty Night fame. It’s a black comedy that follows a group of old friends, including a dysfunctional family who reunite to go camping in Devon. The Guardian called it a ‘gloriously bleak comedy masterpiece.’
4. Sightseers 2012
Sightseers is a macabre comedy horror film written by and starring Alice Lowe and Steve Oram. When Chris takes his new girlfriend away on a road trip around England, what starts as an innocent tour of Britain's countryside turns into a comical but horrifying series of events. This is a chillingly dark caravan caper with some violence that will have you feeling bad for laughing. A deadpan comedy with the emphasis on dead.
5. Hunt for the Wilderpeople 2016
Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a very quirky comedy-drama film from New Zealand about a boy and his foster father who become the subjects of a manhunt after they run away into the New Zealand bush and get stranded. This is a heart-warming oddball adventure film that will make you laugh out loud and could even make you cry.
6. Moonrise Kingdom 2012
Moonrise Kingdom is a heart-warming coming-of-age film about a 12-year-old orphan who falls in love with a girl and plans to run away to a secluded island cove, prompting the entire town to form a search party. The film was directed by Wes Anderson and stars Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton. A lovely, quirky feel-good film about the joys of love and freedom.
7. The Kings of Summer 2013
The Kings of Summer is an offbeat comedy about three teenage friends who decide to run away from their dysfunctional families and live an isolated life in the woods in a defiant act of independence. They escape their confines to spend the summer building a makeshift house in the woods and living off the land. An uplifting film about teenage independence and the importance of family.
8. Hector and the Search for Happiness 2014
Hector and the Search for Happiness is a quirky comedy starring Simon Pegg about a psychiatrist who leaves his comfortable, high-end life and partner for an international backpacking trip of adventure and self-discovery, all in the pursuit of personal happiness. “We should concern ourselves not so much with the pursuit of happiness but with the happiness of pursuit.”
And finally, if you’re looking for a bit of camping or caravan park nostalgia then you’ll find it in the popular 80s TV sitcom Hi De Hi, the 1976 Mike Leigh film, Nuts in May or the absolute classic Carry on Camping from 1969.
We all like a laugh. And while we’re dreaming of when we can next get away, we can keep our spirits up with some lighthearted entertainment.
