Starter for 10 2006

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: Never surprising but always agreeable, Tom Vaughan's Starter for 10 bops along like a hummable tune. Read more

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune: Starter for 10 is cute and smart, just like its star triangle, and it's also well-written, acted and directed. Read more

David Fear, Time Out: There's nothing here we haven't seen done better before. Read more

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader: Conventional, slight, but charming. Read more

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: A surprisingly agile and delightfully warm romantic comedy, set in the 1980s, with a not-so-hot-for-export title. Read more

Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: Some nice performances and modest laughs highlight this amiable British comedy about a young man who goes off to Bristol University in the mid-'80s and does what young people naturally do when they go to college. Read more

Nathan Rabin, AV Club: [The film] bears many of the hallmarks of teen comedies, but also boasts virtues not generally associated with the genre, such as wit, class consciousness, multidimensional characters, and a penetrating intelligence. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: The movie's enjoyable but almost wholly canned, coasting on the pleasure of its post-punk soundtrack and the novelty of the quiz-show scenes. Read more

Sam Adams, Los Angeles Times: It's a good thing the performances are subtle, since little else about Starter for 10 is. Director Tom Vaughan has a particularly leaden hand with music cues. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: A modestly enjoyable comedy set in the 1980s about a working-class student from Essex who goes to Bristol University and scrambles to get on the team for the British television quiz show University Challenge. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: There's a tidiness and affection to this British homage to John Hughes movies and the youthful error of first going for the wrong, hurtful girl instead of the right, patient one. Read more

Scott Foundas, L.A. Weekly: Goes down easy, thanks in large part to the smorgasbord of fresh-faced talent from across the pond and a steady infusion of The Cure, Wham! and Tears for Fears on the soundtrack. Read more

Gene Seymour, Newsday: The notion that knowledge isn't always wisdom isn't exactly novel, but Starter for 10's gentle, humane assertion of this idea makes it seem fresh, even amidst 20-year-old fashions and rock music. Read more

Lisa Rose, Newark Star-Ledger: Explores dark themes without taking itself too seriously, offering wit to offset the angst. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: Shifting the self-deprecating japery of High Fidelity from a record store to a quiz show makes Starter for 10 a sweetly endearing date movie. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Starter for 10 is a mildly enjoyable romantic comedy that stays within the safe bounds of the genre's formula. Read more

Teresa Budasi, Chicago Sun-Times: Starter has a mature sensibility and ... [director] Vaughan is able to refrain from obvious characterizations. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: Starter for Ten is McAvoy's movie all the way, although he gets splendid support from several fresh faces. Read more

Chris Tilly, Time Out: This is expertly crafted entertainment that follows all the beats of a traditional romantic comedy, but it's done with such sincerity that it's difficult to begrudge the odd descent into cliche. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: The writing is nimble, the performances engaging and the story of a working-class boy who yearns to distinguish himself by acquiring knowledge is witty and intelligent. Read more

Leslie Felperin, Variety: If there are life lessons here, they're harsh ones -- although they're taught with a gentle, forgiving spirit. Read more

Desson Thomson, Washington Post: James McAvoy may be the most likable British newcomer since Ewan McGregor; his glistening eyes can seduce audiences with their ability to show conflicting emotions. Read more