Costa Lads

Tom has lost the one girl who could match him pint for pint, and is moodily contemplating his dreams flowing down the urinals…

Tom has lost the one girl who could match him pint for pint, and is moodily contemplating his dreams flowing down the urinals of life. Raymo, a bit of an organiser, fixes a cheap holiday in Torremolinas for them and their pals Pedro and Jamie, and off they go in search of sun, sex and booze, in reverse order.

Pedro is indefatigable in his usually vain pursuit of women, and things aren't much different in Spain. He does finally score, only to discover there's a sting in his tail. Tom ludicrously falls for a Helga, and ends up with a Helmut. Bashful Jamie, who has never asked a girl for a date, finds true romance - not that sordid sex stuff - with Sharon the courier. And flash Raymo ends up worse off than when he started.

The emphasis in Paul Walker's Costa Lads is on extracting laughs, stopping only short of force to get them. The vulgarities, verbal and physical, are laid on thickly, mining the familiar Dublin lexicon of crudities without restraint. There is undoubtedly more innocence - or perhaps naivety - in the scenario than in the reality of such male expeditions, producing a farcical romp lacking any semblance of satirical observation.

The likeable cast - Maclean Burke, Dermot Byrne, Lise Hearns, Les Martin and Paul Walker - exploit the stereotypes to some effect. Booking at 01-4544472