Writer: Jonathan Sullivan
Starring: Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Russell Brand
Writers: Piers Ashworth/Nick Moorcroft
Directors: Oliver Parker/Barnaby Thompson
Writers: Piers Ashworth/Nick Moorcroft
Directors: Oliver Parker/Barnaby Thompson
The Review
I'm about 100 percent sure that this film was never intended for anyone other than a British audience, and the fact it has been released in the United States two years after being released in the U.K. confirms this fact. Saint Trinian's is based off a 50's British show/comic, starring a bunch of British actors and actresses, and has a sense of humor that is largely, you guessed it, British. Unlike Ricky Gervais, it is not the crossover kind of humor; it's the down home kind of humor that only people of that culture would get (I'm assuming, I don't know many Brits, just many that wish they were Brits).
The whole 90 minutes I sat there, I just soaked it all in, not understanding any of it, and fighting myself to not walk out of the theater. Schoolgirl outfits notwithstanding, this movie had nothing for me. The film is pretty much a bunch of teenage girls being completely evil and trying to rob a gallery of a prized painting so they can save their boarding school, where they drink and do nothing of any worth. Characters are just randomly introduced for no reason, like Mischa Barton's "cameo" where she speaks about 10 lines then never appears again. Some, like the English teacher played by Lena Hadley, are just there to deliver a plot point and then hide out in the background for the rest of the film. Russell Brand also tosses in some annoying spots, since is Russell Brand and that's his brand (badumCHING) of comedy.
The film itself also felt like it cut out a bunch of stuff, feeling very randomly put together and like it was missing some of the zing it should have had. If they had grown balls and made it Rated R, there at least could have been room to do some decent comedy. Instead, you get this.
Honestly unless for some reason you know St. Trinian's or really have to pretend you love everything that comes out of England, don't even waste your time. This doesn't deserve a second glance, and will be quickly forgotten in the States.
The whole 90 minutes I sat there, I just soaked it all in, not understanding any of it, and fighting myself to not walk out of the theater. Schoolgirl outfits notwithstanding, this movie had nothing for me. The film is pretty much a bunch of teenage girls being completely evil and trying to rob a gallery of a prized painting so they can save their boarding school, where they drink and do nothing of any worth. Characters are just randomly introduced for no reason, like Mischa Barton's "cameo" where she speaks about 10 lines then never appears again. Some, like the English teacher played by Lena Hadley, are just there to deliver a plot point and then hide out in the background for the rest of the film. Russell Brand also tosses in some annoying spots, since is Russell Brand and that's his brand (badumCHING) of comedy.
The film itself also felt like it cut out a bunch of stuff, feeling very randomly put together and like it was missing some of the zing it should have had. If they had grown balls and made it Rated R, there at least could have been room to do some decent comedy. Instead, you get this.
Honestly unless for some reason you know St. Trinian's or really have to pretend you love everything that comes out of England, don't even waste your time. This doesn't deserve a second glance, and will be quickly forgotten in the States.