Starter for 10 (film)

Starter for 10 is a 2006 British comedy-drama film directed by Tom Vaughan from a screenplay by David Nicholls, adapted from his own novel Starter for Ten. The film stars James McAvoy as a university student who wins a place on a University Challenge quiz team. It premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2006, and was released in the UK and Ireland on 10 November 2006, and in Canada and the US on 23 February 2007.

Plot

In 1985, Brian Jackson is a first-year university student and information sponge. Since his working-class childhood in Southend-on-Sea, Brian has loved the TV quiz show University Challenge, whose famous catchphrase—"Your starter for 10"—gives the film its title. Soon after arriving at Bristol University, Brian joins their University Challenge team and promptly falls for his glamorous teammate Alice, though he may be more compatible with the politically conscious Rebecca. Brian finds himself caught between his highbrow new milieu at Bristol and the culture of his straight-talking friends and family from home.

Cast

• James McAvoy as Brian Jackson
• Alice Eve as Alice Harbinson
• Rebecca Hall as Rebecca Epstein
• Dominic Cooper as Spencer
• James Corden as Tone
• Simon Woods as Josh
• Catherine Tate as Julie Jackson
• Elaine Tan as Lucy Chang
• Charles Dance as Michael Harbinson
• Lindsay Duncan as Rose Harbinson
• Benedict Cumberbatch as Patrick Watts
• Mark Gatiss as Bamber Gascoigne
• James Gaddas as Mr. Jackson
• John Henshaw as Des

Production

Despite being set at Bristol University, the main quad and Gustave Tuck lecture theatre of University College London were used as sets. The University of Bristol Students Union building is in fact the university's School of Chemistry. The Granada TV studios are actually at the back of BBC Television Centre: the corridor (actually leading to the BBC Multi Storey Car Park) was transformed for a day for the filming in 2005 with the addition of a Granada logo and pictures of past stars. The buildings at the end where a demonstration was held in which Brian tells Rebecca how much he likes her is the Queen Mary Court and King William Court at the University of Greenwich. Brian's home is shown as a quaint seaside cottage, supposedly located in Westcliff-on-Sea. These scenes were actually filmed in the small village of Jaywick, near Clacton-on-Sea, with the real Westcliff bearing little resemblance to its onscreen depiction. Clacton Pier was used for the scenes set on the pier at Southend-on-Sea.

Reception

The film received positive reviews, with an 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 75 reviews; the site's consensus states: "Starter For 10 is a spirited coming-of-age tale that remains charming and witty even as it veers into darker territory. The unique setting of a quiz show makes the film wittier than your average romantic comedy."^[3]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack features music from Kate Bush, The Cure, The Psychedelic Furs, Buzzcocks, Yazoo, Motörhead, The Smiths, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Undertones, Tears for Fears, The Style Council, among others. The song "Ace of Spades", which appears at the beginning of the film, was performed by Motörhead in the "Bambi" episode of The Young Ones, filmed in Bristol, that included the University Challenge spoof.

References

External links

• Starter for 10 at the Internet Movie Database
• Starter for 10 at AllMovie
• Starter for 10 at Box Office Mojo
• Starter for 10 at Rotten Tomatoes
• Starter for 10 at Metacritic
• Official soundtrack on Allmusic.com