The History Boys

It certainly has some entertainment value, but there really is very little interesting that happens. I suppose this worked much better as a play, as it is diologue-driven, NOT plot-driven.

I think I hated it, but it was good...or something.

One of those films you can't decide either you like it or not. It's too verbal most of the time but, overall it achieves to give you its sense.

I missed about 75% of the jokes because I didn't catch the jargon. All these students are uppity, snooty preppies. I hate them. They remind me of St. Joe's in Metuchen. I hated that school they used to steal our school's girls and send their B-team to kick our swimteam's arse. How do you act like this and be popular. Ugh. Anyway Richard Griffiths is good but sadly he dies during the moive (spoiler alert), so the one good thing couldn't make it to the end. I hate preppies.

"The heavy lifting is left mainly to the performers, who virtually all make the grade. It's the director that could use a little detention." - Jason Clark

I hated pretty much everything about this shit Brit Dead Poets Society: the characters, the script, the plot, the actors, the clipped accents, the needless and excessive gay romance stuff, but especially the wanky pretentiousness of it all. Threatens to get interesting a couple of times but that dissipates quickly. Unconvincing, irritating and dull. The French conversation was an early warning. Should've turned off then.

Difficult to know what to make of this, as on one level it's very engaging, but fundamentally this is a play and doesn't make the most of the cinematic medium. And honestly, who has EVER taught children like this?

It's flawed in many fundamental areas of direction, but the performances were spectacular. The story is sort of a charming take on Dead Poets Society, but spun into less of a coming-of-age framework. Obviously it could have worked much better with some capable direction, but what we have here is economical enough for the story. Mr. Hector is the crux of what makes the film work so well, but unfortunately his fantastic performance was tastelessly squandered.

Decent.

Wonderful dry British wit. The characters were engaging and well drawn.

Affecting film that feels like a play.

Definitely good, weird but good. I'm sure so many people needed to be gay, but that's neither here nor there.

Ambitious attempt at recreating the play in the cinematic format, but overall it felt very contrived and I could barely understand all their jokes and jargon.

better than Dead Poets Society. I am just not interested in this topic. I watched it because Dead Poets Society is very famous in my hometown.

Top badass moment? A whole scene discussing one of Thomas Hardy’s war poems, England’s best ever writer. So why set a film in Yorkshire and then not feature any local accents or scenery? It just seems to consist of a school that’s got transported forward 50 years in time, inappropriate teacher behaviour, dubious teaching methods and a load of pretentious posh kids. Clearly an Ofsted inspection is well overdue. You’d be better off watching Emmerdale. No cats, chainsaws or decapitations.

queer

Very good.

Too stagey and not a true representation of teacher/student relationships in Yorkshire Grammar schools in the 1980's. It may have ben a good night out at the theatre, there is some witty dialogue and a strong cast but it is not a classic film.

An enjoyable adaptation.

Nicely pitched and balanced, may have made a better play than film. But still, nicely done.

It's all very Dead Poets Society, yes, but that's not a negative. A really funny, sharp screenplay and a brilliantly talented comic cast translate this play to screen very effectively.