Tuesday, March 06, 2007

The posh kids win, they always do...

Olav, aka Quiz Blogger, has pointed out an odd lacuna in the US trailer for quiz-show rom-com Starter for 10. (I should point out that I haven't seen the film, because I read the book, and got slightly annoyed at the liberties that the author had taken with the rules of University Challenge. I'm sorry, but these things matter.) It does seem from these clips that they want to turn it into that cheesy but endearing 1989 movie version of Martin Amis's The Rachel Papers, and I can't be the first to notice that James McAvoy is the new Dexter Fletcher, which must not only worry him a little, but makes me feel exceedingly old.

More significantly, isn't it a bit odd that the trailer seems to contain no reference whatever to any kind of TV quiz show? It's a bit like making a trailer for Titanic, but leaving out the boat. Which would have made that particular film rather shorter, but also less amusing.

And what's the title meant to mean if you leave out the quizzy bit? A particularly greedy selection of hors d'oeuvres?

7 comments:

Spinsterella said...

What pissed me off about the film was that despite the class warrior theme the two female leads went to the two best-connected actresses in the fucking country.

I enjoyed the book and film possibly more than I would have otherwise because I *really* fancy David Nicholls.

West said...

How on *earth* did they Yankify Jeremy Paxman??

"Come *on* Magdalen....."

And when will someone bring "Money" to the big screen?

Have a word, Tim...

Pompey were a bit unlucky at the weekend against the blue scum....

L.U.V. on ya,

Bob

Mapeel said...

I saw that trailer in the theater, and it was utterly incomprehensible on every level. I don't know University Challenge, so it wasn't that I was missing that element.

But the people doing the promo clearly have no idea what the movie is about either. So they have a voiceover line that the guy who goes to university "meets the perfect 10"!

Then they play off the number thing with really ugly graphics that say "what we search 4," "what we long 4," "who we're made 4."

What a riot.

Spinsterella said...

Bob, it was Bamber-era UC.

Actually, the film's worth seeing jsut for Mark Gatiss's turn as Bamber. Scarily accurate.

Oh, and I live where it's set so I had lots of fun going "Oh, look, it's Christmas Steps!" etc.

I imagine that they played down the whole quiz show element because it's unlikely that US audiences will understand people competing where there is no money prize whatsoever.

mad muthas said...

making the rachel papers endearing would be quite a coup! can't abide that book ...

Billy said...

"I should point out that I haven't seen the film, because I read the book, and got slightly annoyed at the liberties that the author had taken with the rules of University Challenge."

Fantastic. Just fantastic

Tim F said...

Spin: Do you think Alice Eve gets roles because of her connections or because of her hair/teeth/tits combo?

Bob: The lack of Mart movies remains a mystery to me. I want to do a Claymation of Time's Arrow.

MA: University Challenge is just the UK version of College Bowl (which was referenced in Diner). I can't see it would be beyond anybody's comprehension.

Muthas: Welcome. Coffee's on, or would you like a glass of chateau pea-pod? The movie of The Rachel Papers is rather softer and less misogynistic than the novel. Dexter looks like a young Mart, but I don't think he is him.

Billy: Well it blimmin does matter. So nerr.