Eastbourne, the faded, peeling resort on England's drizzle-drenched south coast, has traditionally been viewed as God's Waiting Room.

The place the elderly come to make their maker: see Eastbourne and die.

Well, director Gurinder Chadha giddyingly mashes up this Sanatogen-flavoured cliche to provide one of summer's feelgood surprises.

This is an Eastbourne of sun-lit pastel houses, warm summer nights on a crowded promenade and a simmering cauldron of testosterone and oestrogen.

The fizzing hormones in question are those of 14-year-old Georgia (Groome), who is determined to land a "gorgeous sex god" as her (first) boyfriend.

The target of her attention is twinkly-eyed hottie Robbie (Johnson), who is regarded as some sort of wan deity thanks to his fresh arrival from the uber-cool metropolis that is London.

However, it's a rainy night for Georgia when her best buddy Jas (Keira Knightley clone Tomlinson) cops off with Robbie's dishy brother Tom (Sean Bourke).

Director Gurinder Chadha's adaptation of author Louise Rennison's novel aims to be a British version of slick American teen comedies such as Mean Girls or Freaky Friday.

While it never quite achieves this, its uniquely British sense of humour sees it succeed in all sorts of different ways.

On a light note, there's Georgia's snogging scale, which ranges from "the standard kiss" to one that "starts slowly, like a turtle not a lizard, and avoids washing machine syndrome."

Yet there's also room for more serious issues such as Georgia's fears that her mum is having an affair with a painter and decorator while her ever-affable dad (Davies) is working abroad.

Capable performances and a gently witty script ensure that everything pans out satisfactorily with a defiantly upbeat sign-off.

Tweenies will love it

Tim Evans