Synopsis
In 1985, against the backdrop of Thatcherism, Brian Jackson enrolls in the University of Bristol, a scholarship boy from seaside Essex with a love of knowledge for its own sake and a childhood spent watching University Challenge, a college quiz show. At Bristol he tries out for the Challenge team and falls under the spell of Alice, a lovely blond with an extensive sexual past.
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Cast
- James McAvoyBrian Jackson
- Alice EveAlice Harbinson
- Rebecca HallRebecca Epstein
- Catherine TateJulie Jackson
- Dominic CooperSpencer
- Benedict CumberbatchPatrick Watts
- James CordenTone
- Mark GatissBamber Gascoigne
- Guy HenryDr. Morrison
- John HenshawDes
Recommendations
- 83
The A.V. Club
A beautifully observed coming-of-age story. - 80
Wall Street Journal
A surprisingly agile and delightfully warm romantic comedy. - 75
Entertainment Weekly
There's a tidiness and affection to this British homage to John Hughes movies. - 75
Christian Science Monitor
McAvoy succeeds in making the boy's mania for trivia endearing rather than annoying. As his (delayed) love interest, Rebecca Hall, playing a campus radical and the first Jewish person he has ever encountered, is stunning. - 75
Rolling Stone
Jolly good show. - 70
Village Voice
The result is something altogether more formulaic, but Starter for 10 nonetheless goes down easy, thanks in large part to the up-and-coming talent from across the pond and a steady infusion of the Cure, Wham!, and Tears for Fears on the soundtrack. - 63
ReelViews
A mildly enjoyable romantic comedy. - 60
The Hollywood Reporter
The film successfully replicates the mellow charm of Brit hits "About A Boy" and "Love Actually."
