| Overall Grade: |
B- |
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| Story: |
B+ |
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| Acting: |
B- |
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| Direction: |
B- |
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| Visuals: |
B- |
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A mildly enjoyable romantic comedy dosen't work
by Yahoo! Movies User (movies profile)
May 1, 2007
3
of
5 people found this review helpful
Starter for 10 is a mildly enjoyable romantic comedy that stays within the safe bounds of the genres formula. This is a British film, which may make it feel a little quirky to American viewers. The problem with it, to the extent that there is a problem, is that the movie is only sporadically funny and lacking in the romance department. The love story is perfunctory, and seems present more-or-less because the film bears the romantic comedy label, and its hard to be a romantic comedy without some kind of love interest.
The movie transpires in 1985-86 on a university campus in England. Those who (like me) entered college during that era will find a lot in Starter for 10 that is familiar - the clothes, the attitudes of people, and the music. All of this background material lends color to the movie, but it doesnt fully compensate for the trivial nature of the plot, which is a little stale and contains a few of what I call stupid sitcom moments. The films general blandness should generate some appeal for those who dont like edgy material. Surprisingly, despite a high quotient of profanity, the movie somehow managed to achieve the golden PG-13 rating.
It will be hard to find anyone who actively dislikes Starter for 10. This isnt the kind of film to generate passion one way or the other. It has a small films appeal, although there are some big guns behind it. (Tom Hanks (whose credits like "Apollo 13" making his first produced debut as a comedy movie) and Sam Mendes, to name two.) Words like nice and pleasant are appropriate, although I may have stifled a yawn or two during the proceedings. The acting is solid, with McAvoy and Rebecca Hall doing nice jobs, even though theres not a lot of chemistry between them. Alice Eve manages to keep her character from falling into the stereotype pit, although she spends some time teetering on the edge. To me, this is the kind of movie thats more deserving of a rental than a trip to a movie theater, although I have definitely seen worse films of 2007. It didn't work for me. |
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