Spud (2010)

Thanks for the memories!

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

"Spud" is a pleasant coming of age comedy with stellar performances by Sivan and Royal. John Cleese delivers what is possibly his career best performance in a dramatic role. Other performances are generally solid, particularly Cope and Kriek. The plot is familiar and often predictable; however, the execution is so organic that one seldom feels aware that one seldom feels conscious of viewing a film, even during the frequent voice-overs. There are a number of unique elements to the story that seem largely squandered. The story is set in South Africa, but could just as easily have been set in Britain, Canada, Australia or a number of other locations. It occurs during a turbulent period in the country's history, but the school is isolated from political events. Spud attends a posh private school on a full scholarship, but while he is bullied, he's never bullied over his modest background. He reads "A Tale of Two Cities" and performs in "Oliver Twist," but there is no effort to draw any parallels with the country's political events or Spud's circumstances. While the film seems predictable in many respects, one expects various elements to be more fully developed and to have a greater impact on the story. Various subplots converge at the climax in manners that are not unexpected, but don't seem entirely earned. Spud is given an option that doesn't seem earned and The Guv's situation changes abruptly in a manner that doesn't seem the logical and necessary progression of prior events. The climax might have been more fulfilling if the characters had done more to earn the outcomes. Production values are adequate. The pace is a little slow at times. There is one scene with Spud reading in the foreground while minor events occur in the background that serves to remind the viewer that the filmmakers don't do much with the background in most shots. Overall, it's a pleasantly entertaining film that could have done much more with some of the unique elements in the story.

It's a rare movie that manages to be both cute and naive, mature and interesting; Spud achieves the paradox to perfection. Anchored by the superb Troye Sivian, this is an easygoing, often funny coming of age story set in a South African boarding school. Whilst the issues of the country are referenced, they are not essential to the plot or even the characterization - people from any nationality will be able to enjoy this.There is a great dynamic amongst the cast of a whole. The boys in the Crazy 8 appear natural, with a great chemistry and sense of fun, which stop the film getting weighed down by the emotional issues encompassing growing up, fitting in and bullying that crop up. Sivian steals the show as the title character, with an astonishingly touching and believable performance that belies his years. He's also beautifully shot, the director capturing the wide eyed wonder of his endlessly expressive face, shy and insecure but growing in confidence. Cleese is the best of the adults, being both understated and moving as Spud's alcoholic mentor. His scenes with Sivian are especially notable, and are really the heart and soul of the whole film.Thematically this is essentially a piece about both choice and fate - the importance of making the right decision, whilst never losing sight of the fact we can only play the cards that life has dealt us. If this sounds on paper a little heavy for a school drama, it doesn't feel it in practice. There is no philosophy shoved down the viewers throat, and although the film has points to make and issues to explore, it does it in a subtle enough way that it will not hinder the enjoyment of kids and young adults who might want some light entertainment of lesser substance.The only gripe was the somewhat tragic ending - the death of a character close to the hero is a perennial plot device of scriptwriters and filmmakers, but it is still a very lazy way of drawing pathos and emotion from the viewer. In this case it was well built to but still felt unnecessary. While I'm not suggesting every film should end on unrealistically joyful terms, there are other ways to create sympathy than blunt death, and it didn't seem necessary in this case in relation to the plot, character or tone of the film. Overall, though, this is a wonderful piece, both funny and moving and engrossing. More people should see it.

I was very excited to finally get a copy of the movie here in the USA after reading all the books. Unfortunately it was horrible. The wonderful stories that had me laughing for hours and days on end were ruined by terrible acting and lame storytelling (script writing). Jon VD Ruit seemed to have been eager to sell the movie rights and surely must have felt sick at seeing this outcome. The humor was lost, in fact was never added to the movie. Instead it was an odd mix of drama, misery and usage of terrible actors (minus John Cleese). I have a feeling they had some or other popularity contest in South Africa to select the 'Crazy Eight'and the females who Spud has a crush on, because not one of them seemed to be actors- it sincerely felt like a bad group play at a public school, rather than a big movie. The Spud character did OK considering, his father who was hilarious in the books, just came on as odd in the movie and I had to strain to hear what he was saying. Indeed it felt as if the director wanted to do too much in this movie, but instead ended up with snippets of a little bit of humor, a little bit of drama, a little bit of 'High School Musical' a little bit of this and that, and so on. It all came down to being one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I tried to laugh at some moments- that felt forced, I tried to see what others might enjoy in it- I could not. Sorry but this was an utter waste of time. Sadly greed and a rush to capitalize on the success of a hugely popular book, have made a pathetic movie. I highly recommend to anyone who loved the books, do not watch the movie.

When I first read Spud, it made a huge impact on me. I saw the book as near perfect. Of course, when I heard about the film, I was jumping up and down. Today I went to see it. What a disappointment. It has it's strong points: 1. John Cleese 2. Troy Sivan 3. John Cleese 4. John Cleese 5. Interesting cinematic interpretation of dairy-style bookUnfortunately I can't think of much more. Troy Sivan is the perfect cast, he sings amazingly, acts amazingly and looks the part. John Cleese, well, I don't really have to say anything. The story is not at all true to the 'near-perfect' book. It lets out most of the high points of the book as well as all the subtleties that the fans of Spud were hoping to see in the movie. And where it does contain important points of the book, it is in some way changed. This was disappointing to say the least.If you have read the book and have already developed a firm mental image of the characters, go see the film. If you haven't read the book, read it first and then go see it, or better yet, rent it on DVD. This is not a film that needs to be seen on the big screen.