ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies

JAMES MCAVOY is one of the hottest names in British cinema. The rising Scottish star isn’t just good-looking, hard-working and fashionable, he also has the kind of versatile talent that should ensure him a long career.

He has an impressive range that stretches from the endearing fawn in ‘The Chronicles Of Narnia’ to the sexy young doctor in ‘The Last King Of Scotland’, which opens the Inverness Film Festival on 9 November.

McAvoy shows another facet of his talent in ‘Starter For Ten’ by playing a gauche, naive Essex teenager learning about life and love when he becomes a student at Bristol University.

The film is set in 1985, and uses issues of class and politics as the lightly sketched background to a very likable romantic comedy.

McAvoy manages to capture the eager manner and awkwardness of late adolescence as Brian, a youngster who feels like a fish out of water among the middle-class elite he encounters.

He is a mine of information, which makes him a natural for the team entering ‘University Challenge’, and it is his experiences as a keen competitor that help him towards maturity and true love.

‘Starter For Ten’ is a very enjoyable slice of mainstream entertainment made all the more delightful for anyone who savoured the music and fashions of the time. The laughs are frequent, and there is a good deal of charm in the story of Brian the underdog, especially with a performance from McAvoy that goes straight to the heart. The Scot’s career is about to soar even more.

Nationwide release

Director: Tom Vaughan
Stars: James McAvoy, Alice Eve, Rebecca Hall, Catherine Tate, Dominic Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Gatiss
Screenwriter: David Nicholls, based on his book
Certificate: 12A
Running time: 96 mins
Country: UK/USA
Year: 2006

© Allan Hunter, 2006