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STARTER FOR 10
Directed by: Tom Vaughan.
Produced by: Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman & Pippa Harris.
Written by: David Nicholls.
Director of Photography: Ashley Rowe.
Edited by: Jon Harris & Heather Persons.
Music by: Blake Neely.
Released by: Picturehouse.
Country of Origin: UK/USA. 92 min. Rated: PG-13.
With: James McAvoy, Alice Eve, Rebecca Hall, Dominic Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Gatiss, Elaine Tan, Charles Dance & Lindsay Duncan.

Forget the cumbersome and opaque title, which refers to the opening round on the long-running UK TV program University Challenge, where two teams, representing schools, compete in a Jeopardy-like quiz. Other terms, like “poncey wanker,” will be self-explanatory, and thanks to Bridget Jones’s Diary, a tarts and vicars party will be recognizable. Lying beneath all of these colloquialisms is an amicable 1980s coming-of-age romp, with the Cure, the Smiths, Yaz and all the usual suspects on the soundtrack.

As soon as small-town boy Brian (James McAvoy) settles into Bristol University, he auditions for the show. He and his dad use to watch it together and try to outsmart the contestants. Now that his father’s dead, Brian’s participation on the show will be like a father-and-son bonding beyond the grave. Barely, he lands a spot on the team, along with a sneering and sniveling team captain, Patrick (Benedict Cumberbatch); a sunny and soft-spoken Asian American, Lucy (Elaine Tan); and a Christie Brinkley knock-off, Alice (Alice Eve). She’s Betty to the film’s Veronica – fiery political activist Rebecca Epstein (Rebecca Hall), protesting against Apartheid and nuclear proliferation. In contrast, the self-absorbed Alice’s goal is to become an actress or a TV presenter.

At one point, still just-a-friend Rebecca advises Brian to tell Alice how he feels, so “we all can get some bloody peace,” a line which falls flat – it’s never in any doubt who Brian should wind up with, nor does Brian make much of a commotion. But there are enough humorous, quirky moments to lift his rite of passage from the ordinary, and the outcome of the climatic televised showdown is never a sure thing. Amidst all of the badly-dated hairstyles, the cast have a field day, including the deadpan Charles Dance and Lindsay Duncan, as well as the scene-chewing Cumberbatch, who makes a great foil. Kent Turner
January 23, 2007