Odd

You have summed up exactly how I feel about this film. I went knowing barely anything about it, thinking it was a comedy. I bawled my eyes out. I still feel odd now, hours after watching it.

R.I.P Quinneh and Toni. True Northern Heroes [angel]

Like yourself a bit mixed after watching the movie, maybe because I stopped watching "Outnumbered" at a very early stage, as the kids in it I found far more irritating than amusing or clever. I couldn't fault the cast in this but somehow I was left feeling it was trying too hard to be either funny or dramatic, and left the cinema wondering if it might not have been better saved as a BBC1 Christmas special rather put on a general release.

I guess there are different approaches to humour. I've seen a lot of american, or french, or german mainstream movies labelled as comedies that I did not find funny at all. Yet, in this movie I loved the children's remarks and many subtle things I thought were hilarious.

Yes, very odd.

Felt like an episode of Hamish MacBeth, only nowhere near as good. Even the music was similar, as was the editing, filming and actual production.

Cliches galore, children smarter beyond possibility & world-wise than adults, a few average shots of a truly beautiful country, a maverick grandfather nearing the end, some minimally amusing comments & roll credits.

What a waste of a good subject, some great talent, a gorgeous Scotland and our precious time.

It's been done far better many times before, Local Hero is a good place to start.

I love the way you've summed it up here. 
For me though, it was all about Billy Connely, he just seemed so effortless in that role, everything he said managed to have such a great sense of sincerity and humour to it that I could have just sat and watched him talk about life and I'd have been thoroughly entertained. Sadly he wasn't there for the entirity and they did try to create a plot but as you pointed out, it didn't feel like they knew what they were making.
My main comment was just that I hoped people didn't see RRosamund Pike in this and decide not to watch 'Gone Girl' because of it.

"God, when I meet you, I'm gonna be pretty. If it's the last thing I do. I'll be a beautiful angel."

i found it quite funny. The parents are pretty obnoxious but the children are very funny and very ingenious.

"Not really funny enough for a comedy; far too silly for a drama..."

That's exactly why I liked this movie. At some moments it was a comedy, which for me was most of the time, but then you suddenly watch a scene which has an entirely different feel to it then what you thought the movie was about or started out as.

At first I as well thought it was a really weird movie, especially when they torched Billy Connolly, but now a day after I am still thinking about it, smiling.

But isn't it suppose to be like a life exploring movie, what is the meaning of life etc? Because I've found that those kind of movies often are a mixture of both drama and comedy, so for me is was pretty stereotypical to that "genre".

But it was odd, I just liked it. :)

Odd comment, this was a good film.