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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
Starter for Ten
EMAILPRINTPicturehouse Entertainment

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 25 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 7 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama | Romance
Written by: David Nicholls (also novel)
Directed by: Tom Vaughan
Release Date:
Theatrical: February 23, 2007
Running Time: 96 minutes, Color
Origin: UK / USA
Summary
RATING: PG-13 for sexual content, language and a scene of drug use
Starring James McAvoy, Rebecca Hall, Alice Eve, Charles Dance, and Benedict Cumberbatch
A romantic comedy set in the mid-eighties about a working-class kid struggling to make his way in the rarefied world of an upper-class British university, Starter for 10 is a bittersweet tale about loyalty, class, falling in love and the difference between knowledge and wisdom. (Picturehouse)
Also On Metacritic
FILM: What Happens in Vegas...
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
USA Today Staff [Not Credited]
Despite its awkward title, Starter for 10 is a winning coming-of-age tale told with grace and charm.
Read Full Review >Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
A surprisingly agile and delightfully warm romantic comedy.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Paula Nechak
The joy is in watching a talented cast make something crisp and fresh out of material that -- though perfectly adequate and enjoyable -- trespasses little into territory that's new or out of the traditionally plotted points of the genre.
Read Full Review >Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell
If you're inclined toward women of the smart/sly variety, you'll leave with a massive crush on Hall. You might remember her as Christian Bale's long-suffering wife in "The Prestige." Here, she comes off as a sort of college-aged, raven-tressed, human rights-obsessed Emma Thompson, only cooler.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Examiner Walter Addiego
Some nice performances and modest laughs highlight this amiable British comedy.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea
McAvoy is charismatic, funny, and on the mark. Hall and Eve are both just right in their roles - bringing depth and detail to what could have been caricature parts. And if Starter for 10 takes a turn into foolhardy tragedy, it doesn't linger too long there.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
There's a tidiness and affection to this British homage to John Hughes movies.
Read Full Review >Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer
McAvoy succeeds in making the boy's mania for trivia endearing rather than annoying. As his (delayed) love interest, Rebecca Hall, playing a campus radical and the first Jewish person he has ever encountered, is stunning.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington
Starter for 10 is cute and smart, just like its star triangle, and it's also well-written, acted and directed.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Ken Fox
While at times overly familiar, the film never feels self-mocking.
Read Full Review >New York Post Kyle Smith
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 Full Review >Washington Post Desson Thomson
McAvoy, so memorable as Idi Amin's doctor turned adviser in last year's "The Last King of Scotland," may be the most likable British newcomer since Ewan McGregor; his glistening eyes can seduce audiences with their ability to show conflicting emotions.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis
Starter for Ten offsets its rite-of-passage clichés with relaxed performances and an extremely likable lead.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Scott Foundas
The result is something altogether more formulaic, but Starter for 10 nonetheless goes down easy, thanks in large part to the up-and-coming talent from across the pond and a steady infusion of the Cure, Wham!, and Tears for Fears on the soundtrack.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten
For the most part, it's all fairly predictable material, although McAvoy and his costars invest the movie with dynamic performances that manage to keep the story's characters just this side of stereotype and mediocrity.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Jack Mathews
This is cheeky sitcom in a minor key, and fated to be a mere footnote on McAvoy's resume.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum
The main novelty of this conventional, slight, but charming youth picture is that it's English and therefore more class-conscious than most American equivalents.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Richard James Havis
The film successfully replicates the mellow charm of Brit hits "About A Boy" and "Love Actually."
Read Full Review >Variety Leslie Felperin
Showcasing the considerable talents of ubiquitous thesp James McAvoy ("The Last King of Scotland," "Penelope") and several other up-and-coming Brit actors, picture garnishes fairly standard college-set plot with wit, warmth and unexpected turns.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Sam Adams
If the journey is familiar, at least the company is good.
Read Full Review >The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen
Your basic and basically predictable by-the-numbers picture.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 7 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Jay H gave it a7:
What makes this film work is the rich characterizations, great acting, a believable screenplay and thoughtful direction. The score is a great asset to the film, good use of songs. It's entertaining, touching and has a great pace.
Teri Z. gave it a10:
This is a gem of a movie. James McAvoy is amazing!
Gregory L. gave it a10:
Definitely.... I read the book 2 years ago and just discovered that it had a movie made... the movie helped a lot with some of the problems i had been having with my gf and my best friend! Brian is particularly inspiring, and Alice was charmingly beautiful... I'd say that Alice would have been good with Brian... Rebecca surprised me at the end, as the book didn't mention their reunion.
DWilly gave it a2:
Good God this is a bad movie. Not just bad, student film bad... and not just student film bad, English student film bad with its attendant whimsy and narrowness and embarassed-at-its-leering sexual stiffness. For all the exagerated critical numbers, there was no one in the theater when I entered and there was no one in the theater when the credits rolled.
Blanco A. gave it an8:
It's a charming little film. Rebecca Hall is incredible. I can't believe she's the same actress from "The Prestige." She's SO much more dynamic in this film. The story is obviously reminiscent of "The Sure Thing" and the soundtrack is chock full of mid-80s KROQ fare - The Cure, The Smiths,etc. - but it totally worked for me. Definite date material. Did I have a date for it? No, but it seemed everyone else in the theatre did. So why was I the only one laughing? Oh yeah! I get it. (actually, they were probably the ones getting it)
