Alright, fellow tapeheads, let's rewind to the turn of the millennium. The Y2K bug hadn't plunged us into digital darkness, nu-metal was… well, happening, and somewhere between the lingering fumes of 90s Britpop and the dawn of a new decade, two of Britain's most tragically hormonal teenagers finally got their big-screen break. Flicking through the shelves at Blockbuster, maybe nestled between Gladiator and Mission: Impossible 2, you might have stumbled upon a lurid cover promising sun, sea, and… well, something else entirely. I'm talking, of course, about Kevin & Perry Go Large (2000).
### From Sketch Show Stars to Big Screen Terrors
For anyone glued to Channel 4 comedy in the 90s, Kevin Patterson and Perry were already legends. Spawned from the brilliant mind of Harry Enfield on his shows Harry Enfield's Television Programme and Harry Enfield and Chums, these two perpetually frustrated, acne-riddled best mates embodied teenage awkwardness dialed up to eleven, complete with their signature grunts, catchphrases ("All I wanna do is do it!"), and truly questionable fashion sense. Taking these characters – embodied with fearless commitment by Enfield and the utterly sublime Kathy Burke – and stretching their one-note joke into a feature film felt audacious, maybe even reckless. Could their desperate quest to become superstar DJs and, more pressingly, lose their virginity, sustain 82 minutes? The answer, surprisingly, was a resounding, gloriously messy, yes.
### Ibiza Uncovered (and Unwashed)
The premise is simple: Kevin and Perry manage to convince Kevin's long-suffering parents (played with weary perfection by James Fleet and Louisa Rix) to take them on holiday to Ibiza, the mecca of dance music and, they hope, available girls. Their idols are the superstar DJ Eyeball Paul (Rhys Ifans, chewing scenery with hypnotic glee) and the beautiful Candice and Gemma (Laura Fraser and Tabitha Wady). What follows is less a plot and more a relentless barrage of excruciatingly funny set pieces fueled by raging hormones, social ineptitude, and a soundtrack that absolutely slammed.
Director Ed Bye, a veteran of British TV comedy who helmed classics like Red Dwarf, understood the assignment. This wasn't about subtle character arcs; it was about capturing the chaotic energy of the source material and magnifying it. The film leans heavily into the gross-out humour that was prevalent at the time – yes, there’s the infamous "jam sandwich" scene, and plenty of other bodily function gags – but it’s executed with such gusto by Enfield and Burke that it transcends mere crudeness. It’s the commitment that sells it. Remember, Harry Enfield was pushing 40 and Kathy Burke was in her mid-30s when they played these 15-year-olds, a piece of trivia that makes their physical comedy and utter lack of vanity even more impressive. They become these wretched, pitiable, yet somehow weirdly sympathetic creatures.
### That Soundtrack, Though!
Let's talk about the 'action' here, which isn't flying kicks or exploding cars, but the relentless, pulsating energy of Ibiza's superclubs. The film captures that turn-of-the-millennium trance scene with surprising authenticity, largely thanks to its phenomenal soundtrack. Featuring tracks by Chicane, Mauro Picotto, Underworld, and of course, the film's signature theme "Big Girl" by Precocious Brats (actually producer Judge Jules), the soundtrack album famously hit number 1 on the UK compilations chart. It wasn't just background noise; it was the atmosphere. The scenes filmed inside the legendary Amnesia nightclub feel sweaty, loud, and intoxicating – a perfect backdrop for Kevin and Perry's flailing attempts at coolness. Remember how those club scenes felt like a glimpse into another world back then?
Rhys Ifans deserves special mention. Fresh off his breakout role in Notting Hill (1999), his Eyeball Paul is a monstrously egotistical, vaguely menacing, yet utterly hilarious creation. His bizarre pronouncements and questionable DJ techniques ("It's all in the arms!") provide some of the film's biggest laughs, a perfect foil to the boys' naive aspirations.
### Enduring Cringe, Endearing Charm
Critically? Oh, the critics hated it back in 2000. They called it crude, plotless, and an insult to cinema. But audiences, particularly in the UK and Ireland, flocked to see it. It tapped into something – maybe the shared memory of teenage desperation, the absurdity of rave culture, or just the sheer joy of watching two brilliant comedians go for broke. It reportedly grossed over £10 million in the UK on a modest budget, proving that sometimes, critical panning means nothing when a film connects with its intended audience.
Looking back from the relative sophistication (ha!) of today, Kevin & Perry Go Large is undeniably a product of its time. The humour is broad, sometimes juvenile, and occasionally crosses lines that might make modern audiences wince. But beneath the cringe, there's a strange sweetness. Kevin and Perry are awful, yes, but their friendship is genuine, their dreams (however misguided) are relatable on some primal level, and their parents, despite everything, clearly love them. It captures that specific agony and ecstasy of being young, dumb, and desperate for something to happen.
***
VHS Heaven Rating: 7/10
Justification: While undeniably crude and lacking narrative sophistication, Kevin & Perry Go Large earns its points through sheer comedic force, powered by fearless performances from Enfield and Burke, a scene-stealing turn from Ifans, and an iconic soundtrack that perfectly bottled the millennial zeitgeist. It achieved exactly what it set out to do: take beloved TV characters and amplify their chaotic energy for the big screen, resulting in a cult classic that’s far funnier than it has any right to be.
Final Thought: It’s the cinematic equivalent of finding a sticky old CD single in your loft – maybe slightly embarrassing, definitely dated, but press play, and you can't help but grin (and maybe cringe) remembering exactly where you were when you first heard it. Unsubtle, unrefined, undeniably unforgettable.