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Snatched, a film directed by Jonathan Levine about an adventure shared by an American mother and daughter in South America is disappointing. As anticipated, it is very funny in parts but it is also very strange and inappropriate in others.

When Emily Middleton (Amy Schumer) is dumped by her boyfriend, she is left with a non-refundable trip to Ecuador. She eventually persuades her mother Linda (Goldie Hawn) to come with her. The pair are complete opposites: Emily a narcissistic, selfie-taking fun-seeker and Linda, a withdrawn divorcee who lives with her agoraphobic son, the duo make for entertaining travel companions. Most of the jokes stem from this fact and as the film moves on its comedic value dwindles.

The plot spirals into ridiculousness when Emily determinedly yet naïvely leads her mother on a trip into the unknown. Their adventure involves a tape worm being pulled out of Emily’s mouth, a double murder, a car crash, an unnecessarily violent kidnapping, and getting lost in the Amazon. At least you can call it unpredictable.

The people and area beyond the gates of the luxurious hotel are portrayed as dangerous and wild. Emily and Linda soon get ‘snatched’ and then escape to find themselves in a remote town in Columbia. At one point, when they manage to call the US State Department for help, they are told to, “Trust no one, good luck.” It plays on prejudices and stereotypes at the expense of South Americans for cheap laughs. On their misadventure they come across a white American who is of course their saviour in the midst of disorder; however, he ends up falling off a cliff (as you do) and they are left to fend for themselves. The film makes a joke of everyone and everything, including Emily herself. She explains to her mother, “I only post so many pictures of myself because I want people to witness me having an interesting full life and give me compliments in the comments.”

One interesting aspect of Snatched is the evolving mother-daughter relationship. On being kidnapped together, the pair form a close bond and newfound friendship. It gives the two main characters a degree of depth and relatability. Considering Goldie Hawn’s impressive performances in previous films, her character, Linda, leaves much to be desired and is certainly not up to her usual standard. Amy Schumer’s Emily is basically the same character she always plays, funny, obnoxious and self-absorbed. She certainly makes for a convincing young traveller who is blissfully ignorant of the world around her.

I did genuinely laugh a good few times and the film is not awful. But with an unstable plot, a prejudiced depiction of South Americans, and underdeveloped characters, Snatched is definitely not a must-see film.