- Culture
- 10 Nov 06
Starter For Ten can be predictable, but it's always fun to watch the drama play out.
Based on David Nicholls much-admired 2003 novel, Starter For Ten follows boy wonder James McAvoy to his first year at Bristol University, where he attempts to get on University Challenge and into the knickers of posh team mate Alice (Eve). Needless to say, it all goes horribly wrong before things come good again.
With shades of The Breakfast Club and About A Boy, Tom Vaughn’s film is one of the most enjoyable Brit-coms in quite some time. Young Mr McAvoy, who seems poised for world domination over the coming months, is a splendid lead, likeable and foolish in equal measure.
Will he get his head together? Will he keep chasing the shallow, callous Alice or turn to the loveably militant Rebecca (Hall) for comfort? You probably know the answers, but it’s still fun watching them play out.