Reviews

With appealing characters, a good script, humour and a happy ending, the only thing this movie doesn't have is a big name cast (though Charles Dance from Great Expectations has a tiny role). No matter, Starter for Ten is fun and entertaining and doesn't require a lot of thought. There are some great shots of a coastal English small town, an upbeat sound track and good performances, especially by James McAvoy playing the hero, Brian, and Rebecca Hall as the Jewish fellow student/protester (think Barbra Streisand in The Way We Were). It may not be groundbreaking classic cinema, but you'll have a good time and leave with a smile on your face.

My husband and I stumbled upon this movie knowing very little about it (I knew the director had done Election). We, along with the rest of the Toronto audience, giggled throughout the film, and in discussing it afterwards, agreed that the acting was superb, the script and situtions realistic, yet eminently entertaining. What a treat to see a film where the characters are shown warts and all -- they're people, not Hollywood archetypes. And though the main characters are essentially losers in the game of life, they are not uninteresting, or despicable, on the contrary we feel for them - perhaps because they remind us of ourselves? I found myself thinking about the characters and situations in this film long after viewing it. Definitely worthwhile.