Ricky Gervais makes a quality comeback in this tale of 1970s low-life...

After the exceedingly large pile of stinking turd that was The Invention of Lying and some pretty dodgy starring roles, it's a relief to see Ricky Gervais reunited with writing partner, Stephen Merchant, and once again churning out the good stuff.

The highly anticipated Cemetery Junction follows a group of friends in the summer of 1973 who are still in the “same house, same room and same sheets [they] were born in”. Freddie Taylor (Christian Cooke) aspires towards a swanky car and big house to go with a successful family. From the age of 15, Bruce Pearson (Tom Hughes) has been saying he'll leave Reading and ever since his mother left, starting a fight is his answer to everything. Snork (Jack Doolan) is the endearing bumbler who works in the train station and unsuccessfully uses “They call me Snork because I've got a nose for muff” as his introductory line. The three boys have been friends for years and still graffiti billboards together but are growing increasingly restless.

When Bruce breaks out of the factory mould and gets a job at the soul-destroying Vigilante Insurance rekindling a friendship with an old childhood girlfriend (Felicity Jones), group dynamics change and what at first appears to be the secret to fast success, soon has Bruce questioning the kind of future he really wants.

Gervais and Merchant vividly capture the soundtrack of the 70s and recreate the look, from the glitter balls of nightclub Majestic to TV programmes and news features, interior decor, fashion and old-skool buses. Bruce's family represent the small town mentality more commonly prevalent at the time – unable to consider a life beyond Reading (“Why do you want to go to Paris, there are parts of Reading that you haven't seen.” ) and shockingly racist, xenophobic and homophobic. As the oldest representative of the family, Freddie's Gran, is the most ignorant, believing cats clean themselves with their lips, that “You don't learn nothing from books” and that “Cleaning windows is almost like digging – it's not a proper job, it's not in the bible.”

These dated and restricted views are shared by other members of the community. Freddie's boss, Mr Kendrick, and his right hand-man, Mike Ramsay, label all career women as “women's libbers”, dismissing their dreams as a“silly phase women go through”. Freddie himself, is unable to think beyond exploring the UK, hoping to visit Cornwall one day.

The depressing scene of family life Freddie observes inside the outwardly perfect Kendrick home and the wonderful sequence at the Winner's Ball, where a retired employee gets a cut-glass fruit bowl for 43 years of service that is later used as an ash trash, act as the jolt and deterrent Freddie needs to help him realise material possessions, financial success and power don't necessarily bring happiness and there's life beyond Reading.

Ralph Fiennes stars as the cold-hearted Mr Kendrick while Emily Watson gives a warm understated performance as his overbearing ignored wife and Matthew Goode is the hard line salesman relying on the “stench of death” to convince a poor couple that “Two weeks holiday [will result in] twenty years of misery.” Ricky Gervais plays himself … sorry I mean David Brent, er Freddie's father, Len Taylor. Stephen Merchant makes a cameo at the ball and newcomers Christian Cooke, Tom Hughes, Jack Doolan and Felicity Jones are all ones to watch.

Cemetery Junction is thoughtfully scripted, combining comedy, realistic characterisation and touchingly poignant moments, leaving viewers nostalgic for youth and the promise that comes with it.

Cemetery Junction is released tomorrow in the UK

Cemetery Junction Review
Director/Writer: Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant
Release Date: April 14 2010
Running Time: 95 mins
Certificate: 15
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Emily Watson, Matthew Goode, Ricky Gervais, Steve Speirs, Stephen Merchant, Christian Cooke, Tom Hughes, Jack Doolan, Felicity Jones

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