Watch Starter for 10

Starter for 10 is a coming-of-age comedy-drama film, set in 1985, based on the book by David Nicholls of the same name. Directed by Tom Vaughan, the movie stars James McAvoy as Brian Jackson, a working-class boy from Essex who starts his first year at the prestigious Bristol University, hoping for a fresh start to leave his hometown behind, and to pursue his love of literature and TV quiz shows.

As soon as Brian settles into his room at the university halls, he joins the Quiz Society, hoping to impress his beautiful teammate Alice Harbinson, played by Alice Eve. But everything goes wrong during his attempt to win a place on his University Challenge team, when he is confronted with several challenges that question his identity, principles and allegiances. Brian struggles to fit in with his new peers and new surroundings, to reconcile his first love for Alice, with his growing attraction to the more cerebral and politically active Rebecca Epstein, played by Rebecca Hall.

The storyline of the movie follows Brian's journey as he tries to navigate his way through the social hierarchies, academic pressures, relationships and personal growth, while going through a series of crises, tests of character, and embarrassing moments. He makes some good friends in his roommates Spencer (Dominic Cooper) and Tone (James Corden), who provide him with some comic relief and moral support, and some enemies in his rival Patrick Watts (Benedict Cumberbatch), who shares his passion for quiz shows, but also his distaste for working-class culture.

As Brian gets deeper into the world of academia and politics, he discovers new sights, sounds, and ideas, which challenge his assumptions about himself and his place in the world. He learns about feminism, Marxism, Thatcherism, and the Falklands War, and becomes involved in a protest against the apartheid regime in South Africa, which tests his loyalty to his mates, his love interests, and his passion for trivia.

The film features some classic 80s tunes, such as "Come On Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners, "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division, and "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell, which evoke the nostalgic feelings of the era, and set the tone of the film as a homage to the high school and college movies of John Hughes and Cameron Crowe.

James McAvoy delivers a charismatic and charismatic performance as the protagonist, capturing Brian's charm, wit, vulnerability and tenacity, and conveying his sense of wonder and self-realization, as he discovers his strengths and weaknesses as a person, and as a student. Alice Eve and Rebecca Hall play their roles with grace and nuance, creating fully-realized characters that challenge Brian's perceptions of femininity, romance and education.

The movie's script is full of witty and poignant dialogue, which explores themes of class, education, sexism, identity, self-discovery, and intellectualism, without being preachy or forced. The film also captures the visual aesthetic of the 80s, with its garish fashion, tacky decor, and neon lights, conveying the sense of naive optimism and consumerism of the era.

Overall, Starter for 10 is an engaging and heartwarming film, which combines a love story, a campus comedy, a political drama, and a trivia game show, into an enjoyable and thought-provoking experience. It is a film that speaks to the struggles and triumphs of every student, who comes to university with hopes and fears, and leaves with memories and lessons that last a lifetime.

Starter for 10 is a 2006 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 32 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.7 and a MetaScore of 69.