Imagine this, €440million worth of cocaine washes up on the West Cork coast. The Guards swoop in and get all the bales of cocaine bar one. One that’s forever lost – or that’s what the Guards think.

When Jock (Chris Walley) realises there’s a bale of cocaine worth €7million still floating around, he convinces his mate, Conor (Alex Murphy), that it would be a great idea to cycle all those miles to recover it and become instant millionaires. The lads have nothing to lose and all to gain. You see, if they don’t get caught, they get to escape their poor lives but if they are caught, nothing will happen to them as they’re under 18 and the courts go easy on ‘young offenders’. Sounds like a ingenious plan, what could possibly go wrong?

Irish film and television is having a renaissance at the moment. The films being made don’t have Hollywood budgets but are as, and sometimes even more, entertaining than ones that do.

Inspired by the event that happened in the West of Cork in 2007, Peter Foott has written and directed a hilarious comedy. You would never think that this is Peter’s feature film debut and that he shot this on a budget of €130,000.

You would also never think that the lads who are tasked with carrying this film, Chris and Alex, are first timers. If you go to their IMDB page the only reference to acting is this film. In Graham Norton’s words, “A classic double act is born!” Their chemistry, acting ability and comedic timing is spot on.

Chris and Alex are supported by comedic pros, PJ Gallagher, who has us laughing as soon as he hits the screen; Hilary Rose, who proves that she is more than the outlandish, OTT characters we’ve seen her play on TV. She brings the warmth and heart to this film; and Dominic McHale plays the long suffering Guard perfectly!

The other character in this film is Cork. It’s good to see an Irish film set in a city that is not Dublin, and a film that is going against the grain. Even though the lads’ lives are sometimes grim, Ireland doesn’t come across that way  – it is beautiful, vibrant and full of character, just like this film!

It’s refreshing to walk into a comedy, be drawn in and start laughing from the get go. It’s not even just a giggle – this is what you call a laugh out loud comedy. Go see “The Young Offenders”, not just because it’s Irish and we should support our own, but because you’ll have a great time at the cinema!