Starter for 10 is my generations' sort of second hand nostalgia - that is if Adrian Mole was more of a role model than Holden Caufield, your favorite bands ended up Mancunian and mix tapes were the only way that you could let someone into your life.
The plot is basically this: University bound guy from a working class boardwalk town gets accepted on his own merit. Falls for busty dream blonde while ignoring the fact that the "funky" hat brunette is the better match. Ends up screwing everything up, has falling out with his buddy who was left behind. Life goes to shit, he sulks back to his working class roots while Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want plays. Makes up with his best friend, gets his shit together, and goes "Once more unto the breach."
If this doesn't sound particularly fresh well...shut up. I had a smile on my ugly mug, a toe tapping, and laughed at those moments - "I can smile about it now but at the time it was terrible."
I honestly didn't know this was a period piece until I saw the preview - by the by the preview has an awful song playing over it that would have been better replaced by an Echo & the Bunnymen or Tears for Fears song or hell Peter Gabriel's Games Without Frontiers would've worked well.
Here's the obligatory run down:
Acting: I don't know who these actors are - except for Charles Dance who in my opinion should get a lot more work than he does - but I plan to see what movies they've been in or will be in. Protagonist Brian Jackson - James McAvoy...was...in Chronicles of Narnia. Well. Huh. In any case he was really good in Starter for 10. The ladies were spot on and hot, y'know in an accessable way. Supporting cast was solid through and through.
Directing & Cinematography: I had not a single problem. Solid work. What can I say I'm a sucker for shots of shutdown for the season boardwalks. Most of it was unobtrusive and there were no fireworks or "look at this fabulously artistic shot".
Writing: Adapted from David Nicolls' A Question of Attraction - which I plan to read soon - by David Nicholls was brilliant. It captured the awkwardness and humilitations of those years of life. I was cringing as I was laughing.
Soundtrack: All joking aside I think that I made this mix tape in the mid-90s. I'd buy the soundtrack if I didn't already own all the songs...except for one or two.
If you get the chance to see this movie then I hope you do. That is if you're an old fart close to or past 30. If you're not then you should see it anyway - at the very least it's a really endearing romantic comedy of errors of sorts with an amazing soundtrack.
Now if you'll excuse me I have to go lay upon the floor, smoke, and listen to something melancholy.
2 comments:
I didn't know this was the one you were going to see I saw the trailer for this a few weeks back, and I kinda wanted to see it...seemed like a rental.
Now maybe I'll take Sarah to go check it out.
OK, just saw this when in Alabama and then rented it again when I got home. (I missed the first half by catching it on HBO in the hotel.)
I think that this was brilliant in alot of ways. First, this movie was ALMOST a parody of eighties films. If it had been American, it would have been a parody. But I digress.
The actors were absolutely spot on, the "funky" chick and James McAvoy were, in Jen's words, "the British Andrew McCarthy and Molly Ringwald." This film could honestly been a remake of Real Genius and some John Cusack vehicle of the era. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will watch it again before it returns to it's home.
Like I said, if it was American it would have been a parody but since it wasn't (and the soundtrack was almost completely Brit Pop) it was very enjoyable.
Post a Comment