Review of The History Boys (2006) by Danielb. — 19 Jan 2007

My girl friend and I went to this movie on my insistence, based on positive reviews. We lasted maybe 40 minutes before leaving. A great disappointment. I found it rather pretentious and although I enjoyed the little skit in French (especially because I could understand it with their very clear, British accented French), I couldn't see how that made the play smarter.

It just seemed to make it harder for the average viewer to appreciate. The actor who played the professor was excellent, but I found the students to be rather undistinguished except in their appearance, as in, oh there's the fat guy and there's the Asian.

I was a little offended that the most sensitive likable student was gay. I know that is possible, but it sounds rather like a setup. I lived in England for a year in the mid-80s and taught there, though in a junior school (ages 7-11), but these students still seemed more dramatic types than kids I'd really see in a classroom there.

Anyway, we left after I started dozing off. We walked across the hall and watched about 10 minutes of a Bollywood movie. Now that's something you should see, not because they're good, but because you'd neve expect them to be that way.

Sort of like sexed-up, modern Elvis movies.