The History Boys

By: Lovey

Director: Nicholas Hytner
Cast: Samuel Anderson, James Corden, Frances De La, Clive Merrison, Richard Griffiths and Dominic Cooper
Rating: 3 out of 5

I am such a sucker for coming of age movies that it's just not funny. Maybe it’s the chance to relive my adolescence or just the fact they are so relatable.

Understandably I can't personally relate to The History Boys, since it's a movie about a group of boys, but I still loved this movie all the same.

Set in the early 1980's it follows a class of boys in their final year of high school – all vying for the top universities in England. This is about their relationships with each other, and about how their teachers help them achieve their dreams.

I love the fact the writers did not hold back when it came to the script (see Verbatim below), making it all the more believable.

Don’t worry if your brain hurts a bit at the intelligence of the boys that feature in it. Their knowledge will astound you, but keep in mind they want to make it in to Oxford and Cambridge – unlike me, who was simply happy to get into the local uni, let alone the best in the world.

The History Boys is like a crude version of The Dead Poets Society, with out the tragedy and with a whole lot more grunt.

Watch it for a laugh and a bit of a history lesson all at once.

Verbatim:
Mrs Lintott: "Actually I wouldn't have said he was sad. I would have said he was c***-struck."
Hector: "Dorothy!"
Mrs. Lintott: "I'd have thought you'd have liked that. It's a compound adjective. You like compound adjectives."

In a word: Hilarious