Review by Steve Bennett

And like that TV show, Other People is all about that difficult transition from adolescent pursuits and larking about with your mates to growing up and forging real relationships. Especially when only one of two best pals wants to grow up.

There's not a huge amount of drama and plot to this end, just enough to keep the conversation flowing. Instead, it is simply a lot of deliciously funny smartarse dialogue full of sparky, snidey, petty one-liners.

Matt Green and Darren Richman, a finalist in this year's Chortle Student Comedy Awards, never let an opportunity for a gag to slip by, and while that means their characters talk like stand-ups, rather than real people, it means the laughs fly thick and fast.

Richman's Michael, a substitute-teacher-stroke-street-statue, is given the lions' share of the good lines as he trumps any argument, however petty, by evoking the Nazis; becomes inordinately angry at such random topics as Paris Hilton; devises the world's most irresistible chat-up line and tries to decide major personal dilemmas though the use of quizzes about the life and work of Sir Paul McCartney. No wonder Jonathan seeks solace with a girlfriend, with whom he can communicate through something deeper than jokes and insults that define a male friendship.

The acting's perfunctory, but enough to convince that we're listening to genuine pals, and their comic timing is near-impeccable, making the most of the gems in the script.

Their publicity compares them to Peep Show, which might be a bit ambitious, but Other People nonetheless offers a hearty midday portion of direct laughs that other, more high-profile, shows struggle to find.

Steve Bennett

Review date: 1 Jan 2006
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett