MovieChat Forums > The History Boys (2006) Discussion > Auuuggg! This movie..

Auuuggg! This movie..

posted 16 years ago by bagelj
31 replies | jump to latest

This movie just bothered the crap out of me.
It moved from one scene of dribble to another scene of dribble.
It was just boring and just didnt get where the plot was actually
going. As far as British made movies, this was a snoozer. ZZZZzzzzz.
I just didnt quite get it. If it wasnt the cuss word being shouted
about, it would keep me awake. I have seen better movies being made
across the pond, in the past. I can say,if this is best that the
Brits can make a movie these days they should just stick to making
movies with wizards, swords, ghosts, magic, and dragons and such.

==========
Hey Diddle Diddle, & a Quip Pro Quo. So Little Time, So Much To Know

[–] amoammo 16 years ago

you mean drivel?

*You're not listening to me. There are other things that need to be taken into account here*

[–] hslaw2222 16 years ago

Jeez, what's not to like. Didn't you find it controversial that the pederast Hector is exonerated before his death? Did you not wonder whether it was Irwin's innocent reaction to Hector's fondling that caused the crash? All great actors in a great ensemble performance, I say. Perhaps you don't like real theater, because this is the closest to real theater that cinema has ever seen. Look at this movie again, and ask yourself where you would have gone to college if you'd seen this film before writing that college entrance essay. Really, I thought this movie had so much to say- I had no idea Christ had so many foreskins. lol Hslaw

[–] danz1million 16 years ago

Thing is and please do not take offence because i'm just stating my opinion but i've noticed that a lot of people who aren't from the UK do not understand this film but i dont see why its so hard to understand? We understand it fine, some people from America have never even heard a yorkshire accent (Scripps) but the plot was quite understandable in my opinion

"Pass The Parcel. That's Sometimes All You Can Do" - The History Boys

[–] rebecca_dygert 16 years ago

The accents I think, were a bit hard to understand. I loved the movie, but as an american, I am unnaturally enamored with British work. So the fact that this was definately one of the tougher ones for me to understand says alot. I have no doubts that many americans had trouble following it. All in all though, it is one of my favorite movies despite the phonetic difficulties.

[–] uisliu 16 years ago

I suspect a lot of the movie would go over a lot of people's heads (British as well as American) because one of the movie's most important themes is the discussion of the nature of education and what is history. Is education nothing more than training, learning to jump through exam hoops to reach certain goals or should it be valued for its own sake? Should historians aim at nothing more than truth and facts or is it a theoretical game - is history subjunctive? Are the extermination policies of the Third Reich something which historians can address? If not now, can they ever? If a boy of 17/18 does not feel abused and is not corrupted by a sexual act, is it abuse? Is Dakin guilty of sexual harassment of Irwin? I could go on but see. There's a lot in this play/movie and what is wonderful is that it is presented so wittily but without ever trivialising its themes.

I laughed a lot. I got a lump in my throat (o Posner!). OK, I'm British so I understand the whole class dynamic and I get all the jokes some of which evidently don't travel. But this is a good film and worthy of more than one viewing because there's always a little more to glean from it. What impressed me is that although fairly heavily adapted from the original play, it is done cleverly and, as a film rarely betrays its theatrical origins even though much of it is necessarily static.

Rather the History Boys any day than the manipulative and sentimental Dead Poets Society.

[–] noidea663 16 years ago

I'm from America..and I completely understood the entire plot,firsthand.It's just that people have to pay close attention to this movie in order to be on the same page of Alan Bennet's brilliant mind.The movie wasn't the best,it wasn't the worst,but I understood how everything came together with a laugh here and there.I also found myself trying to come up with my own ideas of certain classroom lessons in the movie,such as the Holocaust discussion and the 'Defining History' scene. =]

[–] jnight1 16 years ago

agreed... it's cutesy smarmy stuff. i can see where an audience wants to flatter itself as bright and might be tempted to like it for the halow of clever they think it would give them. or people are supposed to just clap their hand to their cheek and say 'wow so that's what it's like to be an oxford type boy!' or something. it's just all too pat and fluff.

but it doesn't feel like a finished film to me. the characters are silly stereotypes, the jock one, the gay show tunes one, the cute one, plus all the other bi curious ones.

[–] further-1 16 years ago

I agree totally, absolutely boring

[–] tylerrabbit 15 years ago

Very well put. Sums up my problems with this movie..

[–] hnesarel 16 years ago

Wouldn't call it boring, not the best film ever but it had its moments and is definitely watchable.

[–] snowyowl2000 16 years ago

i'm really sorry for you as you seem to be absolutely unable to appreciate great dialogue. your loss, this film is great!!!

[–] snowyowl2000 16 years ago

by the way, i'm not english either, have never even lived there and i don't really get what's so difficult to understand.

[–] Shoelia 16 years ago

I love this movie. It's witty, it's clever. I didn't like the molesting bit, but the movie as a whole was brilliant. I'm not British but Aussie and could udnerstand the accents clear as day. So annoyed i missed the stage show.

[–] hanibullecter_ 16 years ago

It might just be that for some people 'across the pond' this movie doesn't travel very well. British person that I am, I loved it. I think quite a few of the jokes don't translate so well in America, especially the class related ones. Although it has to be said, if you didn't like the film that much you really should've seen the show. It was infinitely better. But even translated to film, the whole story is clever, witty, poignant and makes some exceedingly good points about our educational system. I think a problem many people have with it is that it doesn't have the typical idea of 'plot', but personally I believe that that is all to the good.

[–] oskarinn-1 16 years ago

This movie was so boring I stopped watching it when there were 2 minutes left of it. I usually never abandon a movie.. but I just couldn't take it anymore.. It was so mind-numbingly ridiculously boring that if I hadn't been watching it with a lovely lady I would have hung myself.

However, I think the Brits make some of the best films out there.. So don't completely agree with what you are saying... But as far as this movie goes... somebody got a rope?

[–] leftbanker 16 years ago

oskar -

So it took you 110 minutes to realize you were pretty much clueless? Hmmmmm. And then you stopped watching just before Will Ferrell's hilarious cameo?

"Nothing personal. Your name just happened to come up."