I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

This a big old fashioned British comedy, one that feels both like a Richard Curtis film, and 'The Breakfast Club' all at the same time.It's funny in places, really funny actually, and has a good heart behind it too.James McAvoy shines in his role, and there's some other lovely performances along the way too, from people in many cases who have gone onto better things.I would recommend this film because it's not one of those crewd comedies that Judd Apatow turn out yearly. It's a well-written and well performed film that makes you realise that it's OK to be yourself.

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.

I had high hopes for this but although it started promisingly enough it just got more and more predictable and bland until I couldn't wait for it to end. The acting wasn't the problem James Mcavoy was excellent as he usually is but some of the other talented actors James Corden, John Henshaw and Charles Dance in particular were given almost nothing to do. I had thought that being on University Challenge was the main point of the story but that seemed to get lost until near the end. I kept thinking if Richard Curtis had written this at least it would have been funny. I think in trying to appeal to the widest possible audience they compromised far too much and took out all the rough edges which spoilt any chances of this being a good or even half good film. I'll try and not be completely negative and say the first hour was fairly watchable. (5/10)

Another attempt to produce a UK hit like 'The Full Monty,' but it fails to really carry through the mixture of romcom, historical setting and nostalgia for University Challenge. Bits are OK, but it never all adds up. James McEvoy's character seems like something out of the sixties being platonically hot for blonde totty that prefers a bit of rough! And the best gag he has gets lost as we all ogle a naked Lindsay Duncan (in better shape than Traffik), who appears in a part along with Charles Dance that seems totally superfluous to the plot and rest of film. Dominic Cooper's roughcast failure tries but gets lost in sentimentality and a direct replication of Joe Gargery in 'Great Expectations.' Harvey Cumberbatch is mediocre sitcom so-called comic relief, and the University Challenge element is forgettable and really not required, except as a metaphor for the so-called great theme of the film - it's alright knowing the answers, but what do the questions mean, eg life? Great it was not set at Oxbridge and there are a number of nice scenes and good performances from the two young female leads, but it does not add up to much more than a small BBC telemovie to be hidden away in the schedules!