So much average

Crappy film

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

It's 1985. Brian Jackson (James McAvoy) lives with his widower mother Julie (Catherine Tate) at a seaside town and spends his days with his slacker friends Tone (James Corden) and Spencer (Dominic Cooper). His memory of his late father consists of watching the TV show University Challenge. At Bristol University, he befriends politically active Rebecca Epstein (Rebecca Hall) in his first party. He signs up for the Challenge and helps Alice Harbinson (Alice Eve) cheat her way onto the team. The team is led by the twitchy obsessive Patrick Watts (Benedict Cumberbatch). Brian starts dating the sexy Alice.This is a very appealing young cast. It's got good 80's Brit music. The story has plenty of love-lorn hormonal young people. It's got fun bits. It's great that Alice Eve isn't an airhead or a villain. However, Rebecca Hall needs a lot more screen time in the first half of the film. The tone does careen around sometimes. It's a nice movie and great to see some funny early Cumberbatch.

Starter for 10 has that slice of life quality that accurately depicts the point in life where you start to realize that things don't always happen the way you think they should. That might happen at different points for different people, and in this film Brian (James McAvoy) goes through this point during his first year at University. Brian is the first in his family to attend University and he decides to "jump in" by joining a trivia team that competes in the University Challenge. He navigates the term dealing with an overzealous team captain (Benedict Cumberbatch), figuring out his love life, and handling his relationships with old friends. This film has a light hearted feel to it that prevails throughout even when dealing with difficult situations that inevitably will crop up in most peoples lives. Compounded with a great soundtrack, this well written story will leave you with a smile on your face and laughs to remember.

"Starter for 10" is a 2006 British film set in 1985 about a working class young man, Brian Jackson (James McAvoy) who attends Bristol University on scholarship and is accepted on the team of "University Challenge," a televised college quiz show. He's crazy for a hot blonde on the team, Alice (Alice Eve). After a disastrous post-Christmas visit to her house when his penchant for movie quotes gets him in trouble, he spends New Year's Eve with another girl, the more grounded and politically active Rebecca Epstein (Rebecca Hall) -- but when he wishes her Happy New Year, he calls her Alice. He has a habit of blowing it, and the best is yet to come.I actually sought out this film because I am a huge fan of Benedict Cumberbatch. Here, Cumberbatch plays the fastidious nerdy head of the College Quiz team (even though they keep losing), and he's hilarious. When he gets into a fight with one of Brian's friends from home, the guy punches him, and Cumberbatch's response is to start flapping his hands on him as if he's shaking out a dishtowel.The acting in this film is very good, and it's interesting to see that all these young people have come up together. Cumberbatch and Eve are in the upcoming Star Trek; Rebecca Hall and Cumberbatch starred in the miniseries "Parade's End," and McAvoy, of course, has had a marvelous career, making a splash in films right around the time this film was released. The supporting cast is led by the wonderful Lindsay Duncan and Charles Dance as Alice's parents, and Catherine Tate as Brian's mother.While "Starter for 10" is a little predictable, it has a nice quality about it and gives one a feel for university life, leaving home, meeting new people, and the adjustments that need to be made.

Brian Jackson—a scholar University of Bristol—likes knowledge, he's bright and smart and finally able to get into the TV, fell under the spell of Alice, carelessly manages to hurt Rebecca Epstein feelings. Romance get into play.An enjoyable film. Though, throughout watching the entire film from starting to finish one probably would not feels much excitement nor get bored. It's the kind of film that you think it could be much better when put more work to it. It's a romance film that's not to romantic, a comedy film that's not too funny, and a drama film that is not too dramatic. It's a smart film though, one may think David Nicholls is a perfectionist concerning the script. The view of Brian's little town is nice, but lacking of the city view where he goes to college. The playing of the film soundtrack is to short to actually enjoy it.Have never found out until this movie, that Rebecca Hall is beautiful woman.