St. Trinian's (2009)

Admirable film.

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Blistering performances.

When it was announced that there was to be a modern reboot of St. Trinian's, it was met with Luke warm murmurings to say the least. Yet when it comes down to it, the old films from the 50s and 60s were hardly comedy gold anyway. Safe family fare and sometimes fun into the bargain, and with strong casts, they have never been seen as essential British comedies and untouchable by the modern era's obsession with remakes and reimaging.St. Trinian's 2007 style is not an improvement on the oldies, but neither is it the stinker some critics in 2007 wanted us to believe. It has enough about it to be its own animal, it's funny, sexy and never dull. This also benefits from strong comic casting, where the likes of Rupert Everett (having the time of his life in drag), Colin Firth and Russell Brand are pitched into the femme madness headed by Gemma Arterton and Tallulah Riley. The writers err on the side of caution as far as risqué material goes, but there's some very strong gags played out and the grouping of the girls into the various cliques (Emos, Chavs etc) is a nifty bit of writing that is mined to good effect.It was good enough and successful enough to warrant a sequel 2 years later… 6.5/10

Why oh why did this film company bother to even consider a remake of these classic British comedies? To be worth doing at all it needs to have some kind of originality with a totally new take on the whole story line. Not simply a pale pastiche with a play on the sexual innuendo of 'naughty schoolgirls' or as some kind of homage to the original films or their actors. This film and its sequel are complete and utter dross, any of the original four films are infinitely preferable to this rubbish. Rupert Everett is terrible in the dual role being far too camp and absolutely no Alastair Sim, and as for Russell Brand he is a travesty as Flash Harry and is not fit to stand in George Cole's shadow.

Growing up you always watched the St Trinians films on a Bank Holiday afternoon and they were great fun, especially with Joyce Grenfall and Alister Sim on board. When I heard of a revival I was dubious, 'Wildcats of St Trinians', the last film hadn't been that good and had lost the innocence of the earlier black and white films in a strange way. All told though this was absolutely marvellous, capturing the anarchic spirit of its' illustrious forbearers. So many good things, the hockey game, the disreputable St Trinians staff, Lena Hedly almost unrecognisable from her Terminator role as indeed is soul singer Paloma Faith as the leader of the goths, Stephen Fry, always a delight, Colin Firth brilliantly spoofing his Pride and Prejudice sex bomb image.Obviously this is the ideal film if you have a school uniform fetish. They avoid anything distasteful and succeed in having their cheesecake and eating it with the girls sex appeal by resorting to the original films trick of dividing St Trinians into only 2 forms with nothing in between. The upper sixth are all a bunch of pouting, gorgeous dollybirds in sexy schoolgirl outfits who are 20 if they're a day and the lower fourth are all a bunch of feral little monsters in shapeless gymslips who barely qualify as human never mind female.However the wonderful Rupert Everett absolutely steals the show and no mistake. He's utterly terrific as the Margeret Thatcher/Boudica like Miss Firtton who actually loves her girls and is loved by then in return AND as her dissolute brother Carnaby. The relationship between Miss Fritton and her niece is beautifully played and as a whole you know that the girls all love one another, the older one's taking care of the younger in a very sweet manner. Bad stuff? Russell Brand, need I say more? Mischa Baron's cameo is also terrible and very obviously shoe-horned in to give the film some appeal in the American market. But all told these are minor points and it's wonderful entertainment all round.

I don't often write reviews but after watching this again in my room with a bowl of crisps on my knee I feel the urge too. I laugh all the way through every time, I know exactly whats coming now as well, believe me i've seen this loads but every time I feel a little down in the dumps I just turn on this film and the happiness just bubbles up in me.I think the storyline is brill and I also love the pranks the kids pull, they are just so imaginative! I often wish i'd had the guts to do some of the things they did whilst I was at school but unfortunately being the goody too shoes I was I have to say I chickened out every time an opportunity arose.The make-over scene is one of my favourites, I love the stereotypical outfits each category of students wore and I think all of the girls looked brill in it. It makes me want to pull out my old school skirt and start slapping on the liner! The second one is also brill so if anyone reading this has not yet seen the second, then give it a go, i'm sure you'll laugh out loud!