USA: "Starter for 10," a romantic comedy film centered on popular UK quiz show ' University Challenge' debuts in the United States

"Starter for 10," a romantic comedy starring James McAvoy, tells the story of a young man from a working class English town who follows his dreams of being a contestant on popular British quiz show "University Challenge." McAvoy, who recently starred in "The Last King of Scotland," says he was immediately drawn to the film's main character Brian Jackson and protagonist, who makes several mistakes in life and love, but manages to remain likable all throughout. "Even if you haven't been to college or university, it's about leaving home for the first time. It's about becoming an adult and making the mistakes that you do, when you suddenly have power over your own life, and nobody's telling you what to do, and that's a lot of responsibility," says McAvoy. The film's premise is centered on Jackson's penchant for trivia, a skill he develops from an early age when watching "University Challenge" with his parents in Essex, England. After working his way to university, he attends an audition for the long-running quiz show, and soon joins the team with a snooty competitor (Benedict Cumberbatch) and blonde bombshell with a self proclaimed "kiss of death" (Alice Eve). In addition to his crush on Eve's character, he develops a relationship with another girl at school (Rebecca Epstein), further distracting him from what is already considered one of the toughest quiz shows in the UK. "University Challenge for me was definitely something that was on tv at the time when you'd come home from school, and you'd watch it, and you'd be like 'woah.' And sometimes your dad would be like, 'I know the answer! I know the answer!' And you'd be really impressed. But it was never something that I could answer any of the questions to and on set we were given like a mock-up of the questions that they would ask. And you know in the film and in the show you press the buzzer and you answer straight away. We couldnt answer one of those questions like that. They're really hard," says Alice Eve. Set during the recession hit 1980s in Margaret Thatcher's Britain, "Starter for 10" shows a fair amount of realism that working class kids like Brian Jackson might have faced when arriving at posh universities. "It's a mainstream comedy, romantic comedy film. But at the same time it is based on a very real gritty social context, I think. And so, the South-End where my character comes from is painted as a hard working class area, but at the same time it is in a mainstream romantic comedy. So we've decided not to show the heroin addicts shooting up on the streets. But at the same time I do feel like we are showing it more truthfully than most romantic comedies do," says McAvoy. "Starter for 10" also stars UK comedy sensation Catherine Tate as Jackson's mother.

ITN Source | March 7, 2007

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