Boys Will be Boys

Rare is the play that translates so well into film. With that in mind, Nicholas Hytner’s film The History Boys is probably the rarest of those gems. Based on the Tony Award-winning play by Alan Bennett, it is a film that clearly stems from the stage. With rapid-fire dialogue, tons of witty rhetoric, and a sparkling screenplay, this film pulls you into the world of eight British youths who are aiming for entry into two of the most prestigious educational institutions in the world.

Set in 1983, the soundtrack is a delight for any fan of 80s music (me foremost among them). Eight grammar school students have been selected by their headmaster (Clive Merrison) as possessing the potential to enter either Oxford or Cambridge. The boys excel in their classes but are still typical adolescents: loud, arrogant, brash, and with lots of sex on the brain. Though already under the supervision of Mrs. Lintott (Frances de la Tour) and Mr. Hector (Richard Griffiths), the headmaster feels they need some more prodding in order to ensure their Oxbridge education. That‘s when they bring in Mr. Irwin (Stephen Campbell Moore), a young teacher with lots of insights that can potentially affect the boys’ future.

The cast is a marvel to behold. Perhaps owing to their previous experience of performing in the theater version, each actor delivers their lines with such familiarity, confidence, and aplomb that they make every word seem compelling and straight from the heart. Griffiths is an actor that I’ve only previously seen as a comedic buffoon in King Ralph and one of the Naked Gun films, or as Uncle Vernon in the “Harry Potter” series. His Hector allows him to stretch his acting muscles and deliver a virtuoso performance as a pained and tortured teacher with a dark secret. Hector knows that the headmaster is repulsed by him, but his love for teaching and for this group of boys convinces him to stay on… in spite of the loneliness he experiences.

De la Tour’s Mrs. Lintott is so sublime that you might lose sight of her. That would be a huge mistake as her performance helps ground the movie in the face of all the testosterone surrounding her. My friend Jo’s favorite character was undoubtedly the confused teen with the great singing voice Posner (Samuel Barnett). He shines when performing in front of his peers, be it in a scene from a movie or when singing “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” to classmate Dakin (Dominic Cooper). He perfectly captures the confusion and angst that teenagers go through and we were completely under his spell every time he was onscreen.

Cooper’s Dakin is the consummate flirt. Whether it be the headmaster’s secretary Fiona or Posner or his own teacher Irwin, Dakin knows he has an effect on people of any age or sex. He uses that to his advantage of course, and though we sometimes shook our heads in disbelief at this abuse of power, we couldn’t help but be in awe at a young master in action. Moore as Irwin is someone who wishes he had done better in school and is now trying to get the best out of boys not much younger than him. Though he may lead a double life, Irwin feels that if this group can pass Oxbridge, it will serve as a validation for his perceived shortcomings.

Needless to say, I really, really, really liked The History Boys. This was a film that I only caught because my then-officemate Jami heard good things about it and the screening for The Holiday was too late. I have never been so happy to stumble into a cinema as within the first five minutes, I was hooked. With the British accents and the dry Brit humor though, I agree that half of the film’s humor probably went over my head. That doesn’t matter though. The parts that we did get totally blew us away.

It is so rare to find such an intelligent script being acted out by such exceptional actors that I can’t help but rave about it. I still like Jerry Bruckheimer movies and films starring Will Ferrell and Steve Carell, but I still thoroughly loved sitting in a movie theater and watching the genius that is “The History Boys”.

Originally posted on February 13, 2007