Four college friends undertake not to do "it" for a week. How will they cope? A co-production with Shakabuku Films, with the generous assistance of Granada Film.

Watch the Tug Of War trailer on You Tube

Independent review by Mike Bartlett, Digital Deli:

It lasts about 20 minutes, has its up and downs and reaches a satisfying climax. Scott Mann’s new short is a breezy, funny tale of four students setting themselves the ultimate bet – who can go the longest without the proverbial five-knuckle shuffle ...

You know what I’m talking about – a hand shandy, a Sherman tank, a Barclays… Whatever. Thing is, one of the contestants is female. Which leaves the other characters sceptical – girls don’t do it, do they? – and this reviewer without a suitable nickname for said act – sheltered life, you see. Fortunately, a superb visual gag concerning a light sabre makes everything clear…

OK, the plot recalls such efforts as 40 Days And 40 Nights and the credits reveal the film’s debt to Larry David’s The Contest, but Nick Rowntree’s script is peppered with original ideas all of which are served well by Mann’s assured storytelling. The comedy comes from beautifully precise little details – a can rocking on the bus, a dog, a bog roll by the side of the bed – and some cheeky references to movie classics – keep an eye out for the Star Wars memorabilia. The dialogue is unfailingly naturalistic and serves up some choice one-liners – “Fudge brownie” being my own personal favourite. And Mann knows how to puncture his story with music and then cut it for maximum effect.

As for the wonderful cast, these young actors are all likeable and have the kind of faces that you just know you’ve seen somewhere before… And you get the sense that, like everyone involved with this project, they had a good time making it. There’s a real exuberance about Tug of War that is often lacking in new British cinema. One question, though – just when is this set? I mean, how long has it been since you could get a bus ride for 40p? And on the 69, no less…

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