Starter For 10 [M]

For as long as he can remember, Brian Jackson has wanted to be clever. Now it’s 1985, Thatcher’s in power, Marty McFly’s trying to get back to the future, and Brian is a wide-eyed university student whose incredible wealth of knowledge leaves him wanting in terms of sociality and women. On his way to achieving his dream of appearing on University Challenge, Brian falls in love with fellow teammate, Alice, and has his conscience, as well as other things, pricked by rights activist Rebecca; all whilst trying to avoid turning into the wanker that his hometown friends think he will. 

Total Film said that this was “a cross between About a Boy and The Breakfast Club, which I do not agree with (there was nothing Breakfast Club about it), but Starter For 10 is a very lovely light little comedy that can appeal to a wide audience, there can be no doubt. Armed with its great modern story of social awkwardness and then its brilliant soundtrack, this is a film that gains laughs, cringes, squeals, and warm sighs, all within the space of an hour and half. 

For as long as we can remember, Brian Jackson has wanted to be clever. Now it’s 1985, Thatcher’s in power, Marty McFly’s trying to get back to the future, and Brian is a fresh-faced and wide-eyed university student whose incredible wealth of knowledge leaves him wanting in terms of sociality and women. On his way to achieving his dream of being on University Challenge, Brian falls in love with fellow teammate, Alice, and gets his conscience, as well as other things, pricked by bubbly rights activist, Rebecca; all whilst trying to avoid turning into the gay student wanker that his hometown friends think he’ll turn into. 

A subtle story and portrayal of adolescent awkwardness, Starter For 10 really is a lovely and quite sophisticated little film. It’s not a teen movie per say, more a mature-student-who-missed-that-promiscuous-part-of-high-school movie. A story after my own heart as it were. 

The central comedy comes in the form of Brian’s feeble and amateurish attempts to woo Alice, which not only end up being subtly hilarious, but also create conflict and, by extension, path for the film to progress on. 

James McAvoy stars as Brian Jackson and he was great. He played the role of a fresh-faced student to a tee, and gave a performance that was funny, heartfelt, clever, trying, and, on occasion, a tad dramatic. He was great. 

Starring Catherine Tate, Mark Gatsis, Guy Henry, James Corden, Dominic Cooper, Rebecca Hall, Benedict Cumberbatch, Elaine Tan, and Alice Eve, Starter For 10 is a lovely little film that’s filled with romance, blunders, questions, answers, punch-ups, and self-discovery. It was a really nice, light little film that holds something for everyone, I think.