Cemetery Junction (2010) Directors: Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant

There's something completely reassuring and comforting about Cemetery Junction, a 70's 'coming of age' drama about three young lads in Reading. It's a homage to where writer and director Ricky Gervais grew up and will be familiar to those of a 'certain age'. Nothing much really happens. But nothing much really happened to anyone in those days, or from those towns. It's warm and nostalgic.

However, as a piece of film-making, not much happening does not make for a good story. There are moments of genius and real laughter in the screenplay but the characters are very one dimensional and the film ambles along nicely, but doesn't really give us anything exciting or to really care about the characters for. Our main lead is Freddie (Christian Cooke) who works for a life insurance firm and wants to escape his hometown, whilst his friends Bruce (Tom Hughes) and Snork (Jack Doolan) seem perfectly content in staying put, chasing girls and causing mischief.

The performances by the lads are great - Christian Cooke and Tom Hughes are especially striking and should go far - and we have a stellar cast including Ralph Fiennes as Freddie's cold boss Mr Kendrick and Gervais and Julia Davis as his parents. Stephen Merchant's cameo, however, gets the best line! It just doesn't go anywhere. There should be more inciting incidents, more character development and motivations to grip you.

The film looks distinctly vintage and fab, and there's a great 70s soundtrack. It's best enjoyed as a film to feel warm about, to bask in its nostalgia, but you're left feeling that it could have been so much more.

3/5 popcorn bites