Review of The History Boys (2006) by Lawzy M — 20 Jun 2008

Fans of 80's British post-punk will definitely enjoy the soundtrack, with its instrumental mixes of Cure, Clash, Echo and the Bunnymen, etc. As far as the film itself, it is, after all, a screen adaptation of a Tony Award-winning play, so its witty, erudite, dialogue driven plot definitely has a "stagey" feel, which might turn some people off. Thematically, it mines the somewhat familiar territory of such "school boys coming-of-age" movies as Dead Poet's Society, but in a decidedly less overwrought, more unsettling sort of way.

As someone who enjoys seeing plays brought to the screen (A Soldiers Story and Glengarry Glen Ross among my favorites), I'd say it was overall a good, but not great, effort.