It's 1985. Brian Jackson (James McAvoy) lives with his widower mother Julie (Catherine Tate) at a seaside town and spends his days with his slacker friends Tone (James Corden) and Spencer (Dominic Cooper). His memory of his late father consists of watching the TV show University Challenge. At Bristol University, he befriends politically active Rebecca Epstein (Rebecca Hall) in his first party. He signs up for the Challenge and helps Alice Harbinson (Alice Eve) cheat her way onto the team. The team is led by the twitchy obsessive Patrick Watts (Benedict Cumberbatch). Brian starts dating the sexy Alice.
This is a very appealing young cast. It's got good 80's Brit music. The story has plenty of love-lorn hormonal young people. It's got fun bits. It's great that Alice Eve isn't an airhead or a villain. However, Rebecca Hall needs a lot more screen time in the first half of the film. The tone does careen around sometimes. It's a nice movie and great to see some funny early Cumberbatch.
This is a very appealing young cast. It's got good 80's Brit music. The story has plenty of love-lorn hormonal young people. It's got fun bits. It's great that Alice Eve isn't an airhead or a villain. However, Rebecca Hall needs a lot more screen time in the first half of the film. The tone does careen around sometimes. It's a nice movie and great to see some funny early Cumberbatch.