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Starter for Ten
Picturehouse Entertainment


8.1

based on 25 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 6 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

FILM:

What Happens in Vegas...

MPAA 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)

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

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.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin

A beautifully observed coming-of-age story.

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.

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.

San Francisco Examiner Walter Addiego

Some nice performances and modest laughs highlight this amiable British comedy.

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.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Jolly good show.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

There's a tidiness and affection to this British homage to John Hughes movies.

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.

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.

TV Guide Ken Fox

While at times overly familiar, the film never feels self-mocking.

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.

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.

The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis

Starter for Ten offsets its rite-of-passage clichés with relaxed performances and an extremely likable lead.

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.

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.

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.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

A mildly enjoyable romantic comedy.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

It's all breezy and predictable.

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.

The Hollywood Reporter Richard James Havis

The film successfully replicates the mellow charm of Brit hits "About A Boy" and "Love Actually."

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.

Los Angeles Times Sam Adams

If the journey is familiar, at least the company is good.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

Your basic and basically predictable by-the-numbers picture.

The average user rating for this movie is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 6 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

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)

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Starter for Ten Picturehouse Entertainment

Starter for Ten
Picturehouse Entertainment