Spud

I read the book Spud, a good 4 years ago and therefore have a very vague memory of what actually happened. But I can never forget the laughter it gave me and an awe of the crazy world Spud finds himself in.

I came into this movie, with a very positive attitude but with a clear perception in my mind that you should not compare the book to the movie, how can a one and a half hour movie encompass all what the book has to show and the story it tells. It is an impossibility, I accepted that and tried to watch the movie with a clear mind and a unbias approach (being a south African) to the film. This film is being released overseas next year. Therefore I am judging this movie not as a South Afican film, but an international one. Is it truly a good film, does it work? Well, yes it is and it does. In this review I will not mention the book again. This is a review based purely on a film...called Spud.

This Movie is shown, through the eyes and ears of John Milton- aka Spud. With the audience hearing his voice/ his thoughts. Spud tells us his story, we are guided through the movie with his voice explaining to us the ins and outs of his world. This by itself is unique, it immediately attaches us closely to spud and by the end of the first scene you are already feeling emotionally attached to the character. This technique is used extensively throughout the film, but only as a tool to help the audience become familiar with the circumstances surrounding spud. Crucially this is not overused which allows the movie to flow.

The characters in the film are strong and generally well cast. With two notable performances. Firstly the guv being played by none other than John Cleese. He is as you would expect, brilliant and funny. But it is the unexpected and sincere emotional portrayal he gives to the guv that makes it so special, so human. Troye Sivan who plays spud, is ultimately, well how do I put this... spectacular. It is his performance which makes this movie so good. His Facial expressions and the emotions he feels flows from the screen into our brain, into our hearts instantaneously. It is truly something special, something out of the ordinary. A Spud we can all be proud of.

This movie is of course funny, with many laughs traveling around the cinema. But its a movie with so much more than that, so much more than a cheap laugh. With all this being said, this movie as it stands so far in this review deserves a 10/10 but then why did I give it an 8? I must say not everything works in the movie, Character development of many important characters was very little and unmeaningful. Spuds interaction on a personal level with the crazy 8 was less then I would of liked and due to the book and thus the movie, the climax was, disappointing.The singing was prerecorded, which may make it sound better but also unnatural, not something I would of preferred.

Even with that being said, as a whole this film works and it works well. It deserves to be seen, to be enjoyed.Its Something Different, something special. May the Madness continue :D and may the tickets sell.

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 book

Unfortunately 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.

I went in with very low expectations as I usually do for most south African films but with a revitalisation of the local film industry I thought let me do the right thing and give it a chance.

Well I'm glad I did, for two reasons, one the film was very well acted and all credit goes to "Spud" as well as the inimitable Mr Cleese, an unsung icon of the silver screen if every there was one, and two it's great to see something other than Schuster Slapstick or Afrikaans kitsch making money at the local is lekker box office.

So why the 6 out of 10. A few things spring to mind. The direction, with all due respect to Donavon Marsh, felt very pedestrian, nothing jumped out of the screen as feeling fresh or original. I realise the film was set in 1990 but did it have to feel like it was made in 1990.

The pace was off - it felt all over the place - sometimes it dragged and sometimes it was a great time at the movies. The editing of the film seemed very rushed, obvious and almost unfinished (which is unusual considering Megan Gill is probably our biggest editing export) (maybe that's just professional jealously talking ;) and lastly which for me was the greatest problem of all was the appalling musical score which really diluted so many of the films key dramatic moments.

Why Ed Jordan was used to create anything other than a cheesy early nineties advertising jingle is beyond me.

But look this may sound terribly negative but the film showed huge promise and with more time, tighter scissors and a vastly different score we could have had south Africa's answer to, dare I day it "Dead Poets Society Lite" But well done - very valiant effort with it heart in all the right places... :)

"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.

"Spud" is set in South Africa at the cusp of Apartheid's collapse. However, such worldly concerns pale in comparison to the traumas and triumphs of the main character as he endures his first year of boarding school.

Perhaps it's a British colonial thing, but the obligatory gang torments and slow uphill slog toward acceptance are probably all too familiar to Brits, Canadians and Aussies alike. And so are the quandaries the main character, has to face: should he try to avoid the school "loser" in a bid to win the approval of his peers, or do what he knows deep down is right? That main character, brought brilliantly to life by boy wonder Troye Sivan, manages to pull the viewer in with a powerful, unaffected, guileless charm. He's Everyman in miniature, and his pangs and joys resonate deeply. Sivan's immense talent shows a surprising depth and sensitivity for one so young - he completely convinces as John Milton, dubbed "Spud" by his rougher classmates.

Bouyed by the peerless master of comedy John Cleese, Spud soon rises to the level of a classic cinematic masterpiece. The rapport between the crotchety old lit teacher known as "The Guv" and his promising young protégé is bang on, eliciting the gamut of reactions from pathos to hilarity. Cleese is at his best when rudely pontificating, and he doesn't disappoint here.

As Spud's doomed pal Gekko, Jamie Royal also provides a superb performance, and Genna Blair is perfect in her role as the nascent sunbeam of Milton's first love. You'll also find yourself and every single one of your old schoolmates in the main characters and supporting cast.

The lush settings are beautifully captured by cinematographer Lance Gewer, Ed Jordan's score is just the right degrees of uplifting and poignant, and Sivan's voice is aptly pure, expressive, and gently powerful.

The movie's based on the best-selling novel "Spud", which I've not yet had the pleasure of reading. Its tone is very much akin to John Irving's best, though, for my money, this is easily successor to Stephen King's classic "Stand By Me". Yes, it's that good.

Watch it. You love it, and you won't forget it. 10 out of 10, with room to spare.