The History Boys poster & wallpaper

Andrew Knott, Clive Merrison, Dominic Cooper

The film centers on an unruly class of bright, funny teenage boys in pursuit of sex, sport and a college degree. Bounced between their maverick English teacher, a young and shrewd professor hired to u...( read more  read more... )p their test scores, a grossly out-numbered history teacher, and a headmaster obsessed with results, the boys attempt to sift through it all to pass the daunting university admissions process. Their journey becomes as much about how education works, as it is about where education leads.

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71% liked it

31,067 ratings

Critics

62% liked it

101 critics

R, 2 hrs. 2 min.

Directed by: Nicholas Hytner

Release Date: November 21, 2006

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DVD Release Date: April 17, 2007

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Stats: 3,368 reviews

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The History Boys - Musical theater production (Not the film) The History Boys Dominic cooper The History Boys History Boys Dominic Cooper The History Boys Georgia Taylor Jamie Parker Stephen Campbell Moore and Dominic Cooper in The History Boys sitting in the park The History Boys (2006) The History Boys (2006) The History Boys (2006) The History Boys (2006) The History Boys (2006)
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Flixster Reviews (3,368)

  • Gx7
    December 23, 2008
    Gx7
    Its the end of term in Cutlers Grammar School, eight bright young lads just got their A-level results. The headmaster is bent up on getting these boys in Oxford and Cambridge, and have asked three teachers to help the kids with their university entrance exams.

    Well, this ...( read more)is what happens when you make a theater play like this one into a film, it gets edited to fit homeviewing (meaning, there were alterations made.)

    I still enjoyed watching it, although I dont think most people would get some scenes and some of the humor in it. The story isnt just all about history and the boys trying to get into Oxbridge, its about the diverse characters relationships and stories with each other.


    "Pass it on, boys. That's the game I want you to learn. Pass it on."

    Directed by Nicholas Hytner
    Highly Recommended!!
  • danperry17
    December 18, 2008
    danperry17
    After watching this film, I can say that it was really like no other movie I've ever seen before: in the "More Like This" section, I've tagged three of my faves (Dead Poets Society and School Ties) and a classic (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie) as being similar, but I think they a...( read more)re only important as touchstones when trying to talk about this film, because it undoes a lot of the cliches of the "[Boarding] School for Boys" and/or "Great Teacher Movie" genre.

    More than any similarly-minded films, The History Boys is about the students and not the teacher(s). In fact, making sure that there were four very different authority figures went a very long way to providing countless curious situations that, though not properly "exciting", were certainly exciting for the attempted anticipation of the results. It was kind of like a geneticist's punnett square: if this mixes with this, then we'll have this outcome... and if this meets that, then we'll have that outcome...

    This was a very cerebral movie as well: accessible for its compassionate portrayal of eight young men and their intellectual (and sexual) awakenings, not to mention teachers equally on the upswing (Irwin) and downswing (Hector) of their careers, the film also says a great deal about history that I'm sure only my history-major friends could appreciate as schools of thought and epistemological theory related to "how to study" history. (Luckily, my background in literature studies helped me to at least understand Hector and his outmoded style of studying and teaching poetry.)

    The historian Hayden White, for example, talks of the "emplotment" necessary when writing history. To recount a factual history, one must turn it into a narrative: Neville Chamberlain spoke for the appeasement of Adolf Hitler, which led to his consolidation of power, which led to the Second World War (etc.) - all narratives must have a sequence of events that makes sense, otherwise it's hard to accept the story. One paints some events as turning points, but they may be completely insignificant; as one of the boys in the film points out, Halifax was much more likely to become Prime Minister than Winston Churchill, but went to the dentist on the wrong day. If Halifax had had better teeth, would the war (and everything since) have turned out the same way? Who knows?

    The discussion of history as "turning points", and it's contrasting characterization (from the supposedly dull boy, Rudge) as "just one thing after another" is a discussion that can be applied to the plot itself, which is the true brilliance of this film... looking back on the many contrasting moments, one has to ask oneself how the narrative worked: why the story was told the way that it was, and which moments (if any) are turning points? Is there a cause and effect relationship, or is this just one event stacked on top of another?

    The film's ability to keep you hanging on insignificant plot points is a triumph, because you too must wait and see if, in the end, this moment will be a turning point. You'll reach the end, and you'll make a mental list, but you'll want to check it again by watching the moments unfold to see if they cause the ensuing events or merely precede them.

    An excellent movie to purchase and watch over and over again, whether you've heard of Richard Rorty or not, the film carries a lot of its devices honed in the theatre (it's an adaptation of a play) onto the big screen, and is one that leaves many impressions on many levels... any of which, of course, may or may prove to be significant when one looks back on it the future.
  • katharinec
    August 30, 2008
    katharinec
    Uhm, really good, but at the same time, daaammmmn does this have it's sense of not only morality but REALITY (as in, how would people be reacting...) wrong to various sexual topics like oh I dunno, non consensual groin groping with a minor. I came away feeling very uncomfortable...( read more) - impressed with the humanization of "sexual predators" but like... those boys would be waaaaaay more scarred than this movie showed. Holy shitake!
  • hobster1
    August 12, 2008
    hobster1
    English high-school students seek to earn the scores needed to enroll in Oxford and Cambridge in writer Alan Bennett's witty screen adaptation of his Tony award winning play. Ensemble film wisely features the talented original London cast, however the film's moral confusion is u...( read more)nsettling.
  • EarthlyAlien
    June 13, 2008
    EarthlyAlien
    "How do I define history? Well it's just one fucking thing after another."

    The History Boys is a highly successful and multi-award winning play from London's West End, and it's probably a no-brainer in adapting it for the silver screen to reach out to even more pe...( read more)ople out there. But instead of being just another adaptation, what probably is rare is that the original cast of the production gets recruited for this effort, together with Alan Bennett as scribe for the screenplay, ensuring legitimacy and authenticity.

    Photobucket

    We follow a group of eight male students immediately after their A-Level results release, as they get selected to undergo one more special semester of tutoring for their entrance exams to the prestigious universities of Oxford and Cambridge. The charm here lies in the very diverse nature of all the boys, though a common attribute they all have is they're extremely intelligent, with a wicked sense of lewd humour and wit to boot. In short, your unexpected scoundrels who know their stuff. But not all eight get equal screen-time though, with more dedicated to alpha-male Dakin (Dominic Cooper), effeminate Posner (Samuel Barnett) and thuggish Rudge (Russell Tovey).

    They share a special affinity for their General Studies teacher, Hector (Richard Griffiths), whose laid back style is thoroughly enjoyed by the boys, and is the kind of teaching class you'll probably come to enjoy too if you're in it. And in a warped way, their cemented ties is one dark secret which if revealed, would enforce certain changes in the class.

    Enter Irwin (Stephen Campbell Moore), a history graduate whose maverick techniques the boys have to get used to, in order to ace the exams. I find it quite peculiar the way his advice turns out, a stark reminder that hard facts that everyone else knows is never enough. You got to spice it up, be controversial even, if the need calls for it. In short, be something like a spin doctor, spice up reports, essays, interviews, the works. Packaging is key, and that I thought was quite true in how we deal in real life at times.

    The styles and techniques of the two teachers come to a clash of sorts, but never too confrontational. It's something like a British Dead Poet's Society without the carpe diem moments, but presents the kind of admiration and respect that the students have for their teachers, and vice versa, coupled with plenty of witty dialogue and as the story develops, moments of heartfelt situations as well.

    Peppered with an eclectic soundtrack (including tunes from New Order, The Clash and The Cure), the story at times felt loaded with charm and attitude. And for one who have never seen the play or read much about it, the last act came as a surprise, and with brilliant editing in transition, it struck me as something quite different, and wrapped up the film quite perfectly, with a particularly unexpected happening. The closing credits too were well done, and I thought I actually surprised myself by remembering these technical details rather than the story. Inspirational, witty and very enjoyable British flick.
  • Shmee89
    October 27, 2009
    Shmee89
    An extremely bizarre movie, but very funny. The actors were all cast well which made the film the success it is. Really surprising content.
  • LornaMarie13
    October 15, 2009
    LornaMarie13
    This film is unlike any other i've seem before (and i've seem a lot!). I managed to buy it cheaply and i wasn't sure what to expect but i can it's definitely one of my favourites ever! A great story with a talented cast!
  • EbertsLittleApprentice
    September 21, 2009
    EbertsLittleApprentice
    This looks pleasing as well.
  • FiLmCrAzY
    August 26, 2009
    FiLmCrAzY
    i was extremely disappointed although an ok movie i didnt llike the storyline very well i found it a bit confusing and weird and a bit unrealistic!
    This movie is funny and i did love the cast and their acting that was brilliant and i really love the ending it really got i really...( read more) think that was a fantastic ending but i guess this movie isnt my cup of tea!
    Its about a group of really smart lads trying to get into cambridge and oxford university and its sort of a coming of age learning thing sort of movie and its also got a teacher that torches the boys (which is the main poiint i dont understand as to why they would let hin do it) and a new teacher that tries to help them pass!
    a watchable movie as it is funny and a fantastic cast!
  • mikkiheartsmaxx
    August 26, 2009
    mikkiheartsmaxx
    i feel in love with these boys from the begginging. and the

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Critic Reviews

December 15, 2006
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

...It's a rare pleasure to see a film that assumes literacy on the part of its audience. full review

December 14, 2006
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

It's been quite a while since movies have offered such a nice night out at the theater. full review

November 23, 2006
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

A thrillingly smart and immensely enjoyable screen version of Alan Bennett's celebrated play. full review

November 22, 2006
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

The History Boys is hit-and-miss with each scene. There's no through line, in the sense that the audience never really is made to care about the things the characters care about. full review

November 22, 2006
Pete Hammond, Maxim

It is hard to imagine what possible point there was in turning it into a movie. Nothing MOVES. full review

November 21, 2006
Claudia Puig, USA Today

The History Boys is an erudite, sharply written film with consummate performances, but its origins on the stage are all too obvious. full review

November 20, 2006
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

Disappointingly overworked and mechanical. full review

November 20, 2006
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

The movie is brilliant and infectious, much like Bennett's voice: English-deadpan but never snide, and generous to a fault. full review

November 13, 2006
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Director Nicholas Hytner brings Alan Bennett's London and Broadway smash to the screen with the original stage actors and brings out the frisky best in all of them. full review

View more The History Boys reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • shikin
    December 23, 2008
    shikin
    why isnt jamie parker in the cast list? he played donald scripps, the guy who plays beautiful piano.
  • Hotfudge13
    June 5, 2007
    Hotfudge13
    Loved this movie, actually, the more i think about it, the more i love it. would have loved to see the play, but i suppose i should be content with the movie. it was well cast, and the script was witty and thought-provoking.
    PS Jamie Parker is hot!
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The History Boys Trivia

  • Who plays Hector in The History Boys?  Answer »
  • Which "Harry Potter" actor also starred in "The History Boys" as a professor?  Answer »
  • Which British playwright links The History Boys with The Madness of King George?  Answer »
  • In the film 'The History boys' which History boy does Posner 'Love'?  Answer »
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