Great Film overall

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

This movie reminded me a lot of my own student times. I could very much relate to the main character, Brian, even though I studied in the 2000s and I am female. James McAvoy perfectly shows the curiosity, insecurity and naivety many feel when they first move out from home and study at university. You can see how Brian is torn between trying to fit in (going to parties where he knows no one, smoking pot), but also how he pursues the things he likes, no matter if others think he is cool (making it to a TV quiz show and being the most eager student in his favourite class). Brian could very well be the guy living next door in your student house, and probably you would become friends with him. Many of us will be able to remember scenes of our own student life depicted in this movie: feeling lost on a party, constantly sipping from your glass to keep yourself busy and trying hard to have a casual conversation with complete strangers; how your mother keeps asking you if you packed everything you need for the weekend and you don't know how to explain her that you're not a child any more ("Do you have towels? Yes? Then at least take some ham with you..."); or when you can't believe your luck because you see that the girl or boy you really like is interested in you as well. This movie just feels very real. My favourite scenes were those of the first kiss(es), full of anxiety, and played more realistically than in most movies I've seen. And the awkwardly misunderstood quote from "the graduate". The credit goes to James McAvoy who is perfectly believable as a first- year student and keeps this movie together even in its weaker scenes. He is supported by a strong cast, especially his two love interests and the leader of the university quiz team. Unfortunately, in its last 20 minutes (which is when the actual climax was supposed to take place, during the quiz show) the movie feels a bit rushed, becomes predictable and some scenes are a bit too much (e.g. how Cumberbatch looks... you'll know what I mean when you'll see it). It also takes the easy (and safe) way out in the final scenes. I give this movie 7 stars out of 10. If it wasn't for the last 20 minutes, I would have given it 9 stars. As it is, this is still a very entertaining and excellently acted movie which you will certainly enjoy watching.

I can't begin to explain why this film hit me the way it did, but I truly hated it as much as any in recent memory. I love the genre, and had never heard of the actors before this film, so I had no personal bias against any of them. But every minute of watching it made me feel cheated out of that 60 seconds.This was the first I'd seen of James McAvoy, who I'll admit has never done a movie I've liked (I think "Wanted" is one of the three worst superhero movies I've ever seen), and I did want to like him and his character. But all I wanted to do was slap him, hard and repeatedly.Every teen in the film is a glaring cliché, but mostly from mainstream films. Maybe the idea was to fill an art-house-aimed title with such clichés in hopes that few members of its audience patronized mainstream teen fare and therefore wouldn't be aware of all the contrivances. But even if you haven't seen a teen romantic comedy-drama since "Footloose", you're sure to pick up on many of the components of the standard high-concept formula of "Working class good guy misguided into falling for wealthy, self-centered beauty, discovers her shortcomings and his own in the process, realizes that ugly-duckling-turned-swan is who he should really care about, etc." As for the device that drives the hackneyed plot, it's a high-minded TV trivia competition for university co-eds rather than a sporting event, but otherwise all the usual ingredients are here. Somehow, though, they manage to work even more poorly in this film than in many Hollywood fluff pieces.Again, this critique is a lot more visceral than intellectual, but much as I hate to borrow from Roger Ebert, "I really, really, really HATED this movie!"

I can vaguely remember this film getting a roundly solid review from Empire Magazine several years ago before then disappearing never to be seen again in a UK cinema release that was somewhat less than banner. I carried on with my life regardless, move house several times, had a few relationships and then suddenly Starter for Ten popped back up on terrestrial TV this Christmas just gone. I recorded it as I was out but then it sat on my HD for several months before I decided to watch it. Why do I tell you so much of this detail? Well, because it turns out that my approach to the film was more or less what it deserved.Perhaps that sounds a bit harsh, but what I mean is that this film is certainly not one that is particularly memorable or worth writing home about (I appreciate the irony in me writing that phrase). It isn't bad though because it does have a certain comic charm and ambling curiosity to the story that held my attention. I didn't find myself caring too much about the plot or the characters but I was amused enough to be carried along with it. Amused is the right word though because the film isn't really all that funny in terms of pure laugh-out-loud moments and this, along with not really caring for the characters does contribute to the feeling of not really watching something that is anything other than a bit of light entertainment.In retrospect, the film will gain from the comparatively rapid rise to fame of McAvoy (who now has the mark of a "star" because he has done the lead in a terrible action movie). He is frighteningly young here but he does manage to deliver a geeky character while also keeping him appealing and engaging. Both Eve and Hall are attractive and likable in their parts; neither has a lot of depth due to the material but they pitch their performances right for the tone of the film. Of no consequence to the enjoyment of the film for most, the casting but lack of use of Elaine Tan was a shame because she is not only stunning but also very, very good at being light and gorgeous (ref 420 Seconds of Love) as was required by the film and perhaps this may have made the film more engaging by having Brian's other relationship also be within the team. Supporting turns from Cumberbatch, Corden, Cooper, Dance etc vary with the material but are mostly good enough for this.Starter for 10 is aptly named because it is very much a starter rather than a main course (I apologise for the lameness of that sentence but I'll leave it in since I am an amateur). It is light and enjoyable to a certain extent but it is neither funny enough nor engaging enough to really satisfy.

"Starter for 10" is a charming coming-of-age comedy set in the Thatcher-era Britain of the mid 1980s. Brian Jackson ("Atonement"'s James McAvoy) is a brainy lad with an insatiable appetite for facts who leaves his home in Essex to attend university in Bristol. Almost immediately, he becomes a member of the school's academic quiz team, falls madly in love with his drop-dead gorgeous teammate, Alice, and catches the eye of an earthy social crusader by the name of Rebecca. Meanwhile, the team prepares for a trivia bowl competition to be broadcast on nationwide TV.Adapted by David Nicholls from his novel and directed by Tom Vaughan, "Starter for 10" has all the drollery, dryness and wit we've come to expect from the best of British humor. McAvoy exudes a great deal of charisma as the intelligent young man who finds that shedding his lower-class origins and proving his smarts in a university setting is not going to be quite as easy as he thought it would be; and Dominic Cooper, Rebecca Epstein, Alice Eve and Benedict Cumberbatch match him in likability and appeal. The movie also playfully captures the sights and sounds of the era in which it is set, with crowds of placard-waving young people dressed in "Flashdance" and New Wave-inspired attire protesting everything from apartheid to pollution to nuclear proliferation while synthesizer-laden music pounds away in the background.But it is as a hilarious and insightful human comedy that the film earns our real attention and affection. And that '80s-infused soundtrack (featuring The Cure and The Psychedelic Furs, among others) may just be the inspiration you need to finally ferret out those long-discarded leg warmers and head bands from the back of your closet.