St Trinian's - that infamous establishment for all young ladies who swear by nonconformity and anarchy as opposed to schemes of work and extra homework.
Lead by resourceful Head Girl Kelly (Gemma Arterton), can these crafty, minxy upstarts pull together and save their beloved school from closure?
Based originally on the cartoons of Ronald Searle and later the 1950s-80s movies, St Trinian's is the type of madcap production that could fit Russell Brand, Stephen Fry and Mischa Barton into the same film and still have room for Girls Aloud. That this is some people's worst nightmare is apparently beside the point.
They say:
The Telegraph: "Crude, rude, lewd - but funny, and that'll do nicely."
Empire: "Here’s another British film (part of a worrying trend of late) that is poorly lit, poorly shot and sometimes poorly edited."
The Times: "Sultry students and a fabulously dragged-up headmistress... St Trinian’s fills with nostalgic glee."
We say:
St Trinian's is not the jolly romp it appears to be. If you want real warm hearted Christmas fare, go and see Enchanted with someone you care about - this is more for the lonely brown mac and Kleenex brigade.
Most of the cast look far too old to be students - which is probably a good thing, seeing as how they are being presented as horny lust objects and all.
Blatantly this is not an experience for British comedy purists, fans of old Ealing (The Lavender Hill Mob, Whiskey Galore!, etc) or even the previous St. Trinian's movies. The tone is uncouth and unpredictable, staggering from boorish to downright distasteful and everything in between.
Take the 'makeover' dorm sequence - it is notably fierce and suggestive of sadistic Vietnam flick Full Metal Jacket. Instead of bars of soap in pillow cases, there's blusher and curling tongs. If this is what passes for modern day slapstick, bring back banana skins and rollerskates we say.
Adding to the unpleasantness is Russell Brand's turn as 'Flash Harry', a part that Minder's George Cole played with such charisma during the fifties. Brand is more creepy than Cole, supposedly more sexy, but in reality just more shrill and annoying.
This is not necessarily the best vehicle for him. Some might assume Brand is impersonating himself, but this is the stage persona of himself. A meaty drama role might have brought the spindly legged frizz machine more willing fans. Even so, his onscreen zeal is commendable.
Rupert Everett too is not a lazy actor (particularly here in dual roles). His finest St Trinian's creation, Miss Fritton, puffs and wobbles in a flowery blouse like the cantankerous old bird you expect her to be - though the whole conceit of a man in drag seems awfully lame nowadays.
Colin Firth's character gets the lion's share of the laughs, as his stuffed schools minister is dragged through the wringer and then some. Everett's 'tender' moments with Firth are the funniest here, simply because both men send themselves up with such little trepidation. Most of the girls however barely get to say a line.
Overall, St Trinian's is a vulgar and charmless affair - the end result becomes more about sex than fun. Do not see this film on your own either, at best you'll look like a pervert and at worst a sex offender. It will probably do big business with both.
CAST
Rupert Everett
Colin Firth
Mischa Barton
Russell Brand
DIRECTORS
Oliver Parker
Barnaby Thompson
TIME
101 mins
POSTED...
Fri 21 Dec 2007 at 5:12pm
