Me, Myself and Di

A signal of the return to pre-Covid normality might be the reemergence of the loathsome, low-budget British comedy. Me, Myself and Di is an unwelcome throwback to body-shaming, working class-mocking cheapies that ape Hollywood structures without the humour or style to make something uniquely British.

Newcomer Katy Clayton plays Janet, a young, awkward misfit whose tentative attempts at finding love on dating apps are going nowhere. Director Chris Green sets up her Bolton home life with the same off-beat quirkiness one finds in Murial’s Wedding, but without the pinpoint mastery of small town awkwardness and psychological isolation in the pursuit of love. Nonetheless, the cast all seem to have fun. Lucy Pinder plays Diana, the sassy best friend who accompanies Janet on holiday when she wins a local raffle. The catch, of course, is that Diana insists Janet change her personality completely to attract a man. And thus, Di, the posh-accented, French sophisticate is born. 

Before long, these Bolton-based besties are off to Rhyl, but little do they know that their dream palace is actually a busted caravan, used for storage. As Janet falls for the nerdy Jon (Outnumbered’s Tyger Drew-Honey), Me, Myself and Di develops into a classic snobs vs slobs campsite comedy. With tacky music choices and an empty popping candy visual style, Green’s film is an exhausting watch. Its set pieces (an afternoon tea, a bikini contest) never build to any real comic peaks of awkwardness, and its central romance is so corny and hastily delivered that it strains credulity. 

In its toothless depiction of class warfare, Me, Myself and Di seems wilfully ignorant of the strict divisions that scar the UK. To watch it is to present oneself with a blinded vision of Britain that palms perversity off as quirk and trauma as self-empowerment. 

BP Flanagan

Me, Myself and Di is released nationwide on 11^th June 2021.

Watch the trailer for Me, Myself and Di here: