This is such a great film. I've now watched it three times and my admiration and pleasure keeps growing. This would be a movie that older movie watchers could also enjoy, as the story line is strong and linear. Great characters, with lots of intelligence and humour. Not for the homophobic.

i wonder if i should check it 4 maself.......

This film is amazingly good. I wish I could've seen the stage play with this cast; I fell in love with every one of them. Watched it over and over. Will surely buy the DVD.

This began promisingly but veers off in a near-demented direction. It's a Brit film that begins with strong characters, fine dialogue, excellent poetry, realistic scenes and tensions, and even interesting conflicts about pedagogy. Obviously not the work of Any Chump, so far; in fact, you smell something brilliant about to unfold. Its focus never strays from the large cast, but things begin zeroing in on two gay narratives. One's a public scandal that's handled well and sensitively; the other is about an attraction between a student and his polemical but unbelievably passive male teacher (the story's weakest character -- due to a poor actor or the near-nil dialogue?) This drama takes centre stage, but culminates with the student bluntly telling a tongue-tied teacher to s*ck him off - rather out of the blue. No response to that, and things are left there, unresolved ...enticingly? I don't think so. If the context were hetero, would it pass the crudity test? No, again. All of this is portrayed as OK and somehow understandable. Odd indeed. After such a good start, given that strong setup, this disappoints -- and big-time.

Excellent!! The dialogues are witty, funny and intelligent. The acting is perfect - using the same 8 boys who played their roles in the award winning stage play results in a very natural inter-play between them. Great theme of whether we educate to pass an exam or to succeed in life. First class film!

A very good film, I think it is based on (or is a film of) a stage play. I really liked the message it conveyed, and the thoughts it provoked about people at that time of their lives when they finishing high school and the pressures on them to choose what they will do next - and for the rest of their lives - and what impact getting into the "right school" will have. And ultimately how does this really affect their life's work / outcomes? What is most iimportant in education? (Obviously this movie got me thinking!)