Starter for Ten

James McAvoy, Catherine Tate, Alice Eve, Rebecca Hall, Mark Gatiss

Dir. Tom Vaughan
Scr. David Nicholls

Ever since seeing him in 2004’s Inside I’m Dancing, I’ve been a James McAvoy fan. You might think from all the hype that his first film was The Last King of Scotland, but he’s actually been around for quite some time. And he’s an extremely watch-able and gutsy actor. In Starter for Ten, playing a character ten years his junior with ease, McAvoy impresses again. I was a bit disappointed that the movie didn’t impress quite as much.

Anyone who knows me will realise that there is a second reason I went to see this film – University Challenge. I am a BIG fan. End of confession, back to review.

There is a lot to like about this movie. Set in 1985, it follows Brian (McAvoy) as he leaves his Essex home and starts Bristol University, overcoming academic challenges, romantic challenges and University Challenge. The romantic plot is very familiar – boy meets girl who is perfect for him and they become friends; boy meets another girl who is not perfect for him but is blonde and busty and they become more than friends; boy is betrayed by busty blonde; boy finally comes to senses and hooks up with the perfect girl. It’s certainly not a unique formula but its familiarity is comfortable in a film that is all about nostalgia.

From mixed tapes to Bamber Gascoigne, anyone who was a child/teen of the 80s will have a fondness for this film. Also, anyone who has been to university or has known anyone who has been to university will relate to the strange creature that is the First Year University Student – full of hope and self-belief, wearing a pretentious scarf and coat, talking with fervour about Nietzsche and postmodernism. The sight of three geeky students singing “I am the very model of a modern major general” at a party had me giggling hysterically. Accompanied by a great 80s Brit soundtrack, Starter for Ten is all warm and fuzzy.

And although that makes an enjoyable film, it doesn’t necessarily make a film I would want to watch over and over. Everything was predictable. And maybe that is great for some people, but not for me. I felt like it needed something more. And while it was funny, extremely funny in places, it should have been funnier. And, above all, there was nowhere near enough University Challenge scenes!

McAvoy, as mentioned, was a very solid and likeable lead. I look forward to his next movie. The girls – Alice (blonde one) and Rebecca (perfect one) – were portrayed well by, errrrrrr, Alice Eve and Rebecca Hall. Not brilliant, but competent. A cameo by Charles Dance, as Alice’s father, was woefully short. Catherine Tate was excellent as Brian’s mother – always a joy to watch, her comic timing was spot on. I was very disappointed by the portrayal of Bamber Gascoigne, by Gatiss (of League of Gentlemen fame) – he came across as a complete pretentious git, which is not my memory of Bamber at all. Bamber was, of course, outstandingly intelligent but quietly dignified and forgiving. Unlike the current host (Jeremy Paxman) who is a complete pretentious git, and proud of it.

So, yeah, I can’t necessarily fault this movie in any meaningful way. And I’m sure many people will enjoy it – after all, I enjoyed it. But I didn’t love it and I think it had the potential to make me love it. An opportunity missed perhaps.

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Brian: Got an announcement to make. I'm gonna be on University Challenge.
Julie: What a relief. I thought you were gonna say you were gay.