The British comedy, Starter for 10, is about a young man named Brian Jackson (James McAvoy) who has a great love for trivia, and learning. He has been accepted to Bristol University, a school he always wanted to go to, and quickly finds out that they are holding auditions for the popular college quiz show “University Challenge”, which also happens to be his favorite show! Not only is he concerned with school and the game show, he also has two rather attractive women after him.
Brain deals with issues such as love, loss, and of course his school work too. His father died when he was young (it was never specified at what age) and this is one of the reasons he wants to be on “University Challenge” because it was a show they use to watch together. This causes him to want to win the show so badly that ends up interfering with his schoolwork and even his love life.
The story is told mostly through Brian as the narrator. We see what goes on in real time, but with a voiceover from Brian when necessary to give the audience a look at his feelings. At times it seemed like his character was inconsistent, such as before he goes on the game show, he ends up peeking at the answers to a question when the judge accidentally leaves them near him. We come to see Brian as a dedicated individual, who has good morals; it just did not seem in his character to want to jeopardize all he worked for. He did however give a girl the answers to a couple questions during the try-outs. Despite that, I think this was justified by the fact that he was obviously stunned by her beauty and was not thinking correctly.
This was a good coming of age movie, and rather funny. You can really feel for Brian as he deals with two different relationships with two beautiful women, something he is not use to dealing with. He is losing touch with his friends, who are obviously affected by his going to school. Brian must also deal with his mother’s new boyfriend, a sad replacement for his deceased father.
The story was good, and the plot jumped around from dealing with the quiz show, to dealing with Brian’s personal life. This turned the movie away from Brian to the four contestants in the show, and giving the movie a little change.
It was very entertaining and enjoyable. If you enjoy British films, especially comedies, then you should give this a go. It is a limited release film; so check your local listings.