When I read about this coming-of-age dramedy about a young Essex bloke coming to University and joining the "University Challenge" team (Americans might be familiar with their "Quiz Bowl" version), I was hoping to see a "lovable losers rise to the top and win the championship" film. That is not STARTER FOR TEN. While there a few scenes of preparations for matches, we only are witness to one round of University Challenge play.
STARTER FOR TEN is more of a John Hughes tale of Brian (James McAvoy sporting a terrible haircut) pining for the wrong girl (Alice Eve), while the "right" one (Rebecca Hall looking very Molly Ringwald) is right under his nose. Luckily, our Miss Wrong doesn't turn out to be a Miss Bitch. All of her cards are on the table and it's just Brian's skewed values that keep him focusing that keep him from focusing where he needs to. A shake up at the University Challenge game gets Brian's mind right.
A quaint little film with a killer soundtrack (though some of the songs are from years after the 1985/1986 timeframe, particularly The Cure's "Pictures of You" which came out in 1989) STARTER FOR TEN provides a few laughs and smiles on a lazy afternoon.
STARTER FOR TEN is more of a John Hughes tale of Brian (James McAvoy sporting a terrible haircut) pining for the wrong girl (Alice Eve), while the "right" one (Rebecca Hall looking very Molly Ringwald) is right under his nose. Luckily, our Miss Wrong doesn't turn out to be a Miss Bitch. All of her cards are on the table and it's just Brian's skewed values that keep him focusing that keep him from focusing where he needs to. A shake up at the University Challenge game gets Brian's mind right.
A quaint little film with a killer soundtrack (though some of the songs are from years after the 1985/1986 timeframe, particularly The Cure's "Pictures of You" which came out in 1989) STARTER FOR TEN provides a few laughs and smiles on a lazy afternoon.