Set in 1985, working-class student Brian Jackson (McAvoy) navigates his first year at Bristol University.Set in 1985, working-class student Brian Jackson (McAvoy) navigates his first year at Bristol University.Set in 1985, working-class student Brian Jackson (McAvoy) navigates his first year at Bristol University.
- Awards
- 1 win & 3 nominations
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDespite the fact she plays Brian Jackson's mother, Julie Jackson, Catherine Tate is only 10 years older than James McAvoy.
- GoofsISTR institutions did not enter every year in the original series. They were invited to compete on a rota basis.
- Quotes
Brian Jackson: I admit it. I'd made some mistakes. Okay, some big mistakes. Loads of them. But you can't hide in your room forever feeling sorry for yourself. It's not practical. At some point, you've got to get back out there, face up to things, and confront your demons. Ever since I can remember, I'd wanted to be clever. Some people are born clever, same way some people are born beautiful. I'm not one of those people. I'm going to have to work at it, put in the effort, and if I mess it up, I'll learn from it. Besides, sometimes it's not about knowing the right answer. Sometimes it's about asking the right questions.
- Crazy creditsDuring the opening credits the theme music from the BBC program University Challenge (1962), which the title of the film refers to, is played.
- ConnectionsFeatured in University Challenge: The Story So Far (2006)
- SoundtracksCollege Boy (University Challenge Theme)
Written by Derek New
Published by EMI Blackwood Music Inc.
Courtesy of Granada Television Limited
Director Tom Vaughan Writer David Nicholls Stars Ian Bonar, Alice Eve, Rebecca Hall, Catherine Tate Certificate 12A Running time 96 minutes Country UK / USA Year 2006
Don't let the pathetically weak opening scene - a flashback of a university applicant as a boy, watching University Challenge and guessing the answers - put you off. Starter For Ten actually manages to get better. Although nominally about qualifying to be on the TV famous game show, the film is really a light-hearted coming-of-age drama set in the 80s. It has convincing performances and a lovingly recreated period of Thatcher Britain, when corduroy was cool and Kate Bush was for intellectuals.
Working class Brian was not born clever - he has to work at it. Gaining entry to a posh university, he meanders through undergraduate days with a classic dilemma: do you fall in love with the intellectually attractive brunette or the blonde goddess? Karl Marx, Freud and John Lennon, like smoking hash and learning how to do blowbacks, are all part of the social landscape of what is trendy and what isn't. Half way in, the film subject matter allows plenty of social commentary on the irksome British class divisions that penetrate romance, friendship and the University Challenge team.
Versatile Catherine Tate puts in an amiable performance as Brian's ever supportive and cooing mother: she's having an affair with the ice-cream van man ("you can hear him coming"). This enjoyable no-brainer of a movie is aided and abetted by a blistering 80s soundtrack with bands such as The Cure, Psychedelic Furs, Buzzcocks, Yazoo, The Smiths, Tears for Fears, The Undertones - and Kate Bush.
Starter for Ten is not searing drama, but it does make a pleasant and worthwhile trip down nostalgia lane. The characters are ones we can love and care about and the movie mostly avoids predictability and cheese. If "the most important questions in life are the ones we already know the answer to," and are not exactly rocket science, the subject matter of Starter For Ten is a welcome and unpretentious antidote to the plethora of similar American teen comedies. If you like the music, it's worth going for that alone.
- Chris_Docker
- Nov 13, 2006
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Starter for Ten
- Filming locations
- Jaywick, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, England, UK(Brian's parents' home)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $216,839
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $37,141
- Feb 25, 2007
- Gross worldwide
- $1,736,394
- Runtime1 hour 32 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1