Starter for Ten (2006)

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Directed by Tom Vaughan.

Starring Dominic Cooper, James McAvoy, Alice Eve, Catherine Tate, Rebecca Hall.

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A working-class English boy who has been fortunate enough to be accepted into a posh private university struggles to realize his lifelong dream while simultaneously winning the heart of the girl he loves in a romantic, bittersweet comedy directed by Tom Vaughan and starring James McAvoy, Rebecca Hall, and Charles Dance. The time is the mid-'80s, and the University Challenge phenomenon is sweeping through England. Despite his underprivileged background, Essex boy Brian Jackson (McAvoy) knows that he has what it takes to make it to the finals on one of the most popular programs in all of England. Upon being accepted into Bristol, the ambitious young student soon tries out for the school's University Challenge team, and set the gears of his ultimate fantasy into motion. Effectively estranged from his single-parent mother (Catherine Tate) just for being accepted into the school, Brian soon gets set to cross yet another class line when he becomes smitten with his beautiful University Challenge teammate and attempts to woo her into his arms her with his formidable advanced general knowledge skills. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Assassin-ine fun
by usesoap in usesoap Blog

hasn't rated it.

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"This is the “Dilbert” panel I've always wanted to see. A fed-up office drone, sick of the confines of his cubicle, unleashes holy hell on his condescending superiors and clocks a duplicitous colleague in the jaw with his keyboard and heads out for adventure with Angelina Jolie. While “Wanted's” lead Wesley (played by James McAvoy) does just that, his character is taken from a different comic altogether. It's comic origins (based on one by Mark Millar and J. G. Jones) are felt throughout the film's reality-relinquishing first hour, until it turns on itself in the final act and decides to play things with a straight face. If only Cat-bert could have sauntered in to slap some sense into him. Let's start with the good. Wesley's life is torn straight from the pages of “Office Space:” a patronizing supervisor takes special glee in the daily ass-chewing she gives the young man, a co-worker enjoys showing Wesley's girlfriend his “O” face (if ... " [More]

Starter for 10
by JimBell in JimBell Blog

is neutral about it.

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"Why do adults believe that young people who are excellent students are smart enough to figure out everything else about life? Instead, whey don’t adults worry that eggheads have spent so much time with their noses in books that they will be like fish out of water in other situations? In Starter for 10, Brian Jackson (James McAvoy) believes that knowledge is power, gets into university, and learns that it’s not. An encyclopaedic knowledge actually seems inversely correlated with wisdom. On the romantic front, things go exactly as you’d expect: He falls for the blonde bomb shell, gets crushed, and finds love with the more homely and substantial activist girl. The originality comes when Brian gets on the Bristol University team competing in “University Challenge” (similar to “Reach for the Top”). How Brian screws up speaks volumes about his lack of wisdom—even lack of basic common sense. It is a toss up whether you’ll find the fil ... " [More]

Connie, Carla and Bobby Start L ...
by dibot in dibot Blog

liked it.

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"More reviews from the binge.Starter for Ten is one of those coming of age stories where a boy becomes a man and finds out what kind of person he really is. This time, James McAvoy ("The Last King of Scotland") stars and the setting is 1985 Bristol University with McAvoy learning about himself as he tries to make it in college, falls in love and enters the college game show. It's pretty typical storywise, but the characters and entertaining and the dialogue is witty. Very fun.Connie and Carla has two women (Nia Vardalos, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," and Toni Collette, "Evening") on the run from the mob who hide out as drag queens. It's not as bad as it sounds. There are several laugh out loud moments, musical numbers and, most importantly, David Duchovny ("Trust the Man"). Worth watching if it's on TV, but don't pay for it.I had a physical reaction of disgust to Live Free or Die. There's voiceover which is supposed to make us interested in the main character who h ... " [More]

British 80's Twentysomething Co ...
by Demndiary in Demndiary Blog

is neutral about it.

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"Tom Vaughan's Starter for Ten was a film I was looking forward to. I was curious because of James McAvoy and also Rebecca Hall. Watching it I found it strangely anticlimatic. McAvoy's Brian is a nerdy university student who falls for Eve, a blonde teammate on the University Challenge team. His romance is tempered by Rebecca Epstein (Hall) who is the ultimate activist student in the 1980's. In addition there are subplots with Brian's mother, and his non-university friends. At least one quote I saw made reference to John Hughes, and the elements are clear. Strong characters in outrageous situations, good music, and a happy ending. Hughes, however, has stronger pacing. I found the first half of the film to drag beforeit found its legs. Once it hit proper pace it was a quick zoom to the end. It was also destined to be predictable. " [More]

starter for 10
by wonga in wonga's filmblog

liked it.

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"i was really looking forward to this and i wasn't disappointed. it's a familiar romantic comedy/coming of age story but the acting and writing are above average and besides everything is better with a British accent! James McAvoy (Last King Of Scotland) was really good - hope to see him a lot in the future. " [More]

Tags: college , friendship , gameshow , romance , trivia
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