St. Trinian's

From the ashes of Ealing rises a film worthy of the studio name.

A fun packed, good natured, girl-powered romp complete with obligatory wacky robbery plot so beloved of the studios' classics. Though the plotting wavers the abundant energy carries it through with hardly a glitch. Rupert Everett is a revelation and Colin Firth wisely plays it straight even whilst sending himself up.

A very UK film with lots of in-jokes for us 30 somethings (loved the 'Another Country' line), funny lines and nicely sketched stereotypes for younger girls to admire and younger boys to fancy.

Great for a family trip or as a personal time-passer, it sold out continuously in Glasgow for weeks, although a sequel really isn't warranted.

Enjoy it as the stand alone little gem it is, harking back to the days when films were self-contained little classics rather than potential sequel spinners.

My comedy of 2007!

P.S.- Remember to stay for the 'Girls Aloud' title song credits!

St. Trinian's is probably never going to top anyone's list of greatest films of the 21st Century but there's no denying it is funny. It could so easily have been terrible, but it isn't, thanks to a witty and clever script that pays tribute to Ronald Searle's original cartoons as well as to the classic "Belles of St Trinian's" Writers Piers Ashworth and Nick Moorcroft have successfully reinvented St. Trinian's for the 21st century, avoiding the obvious pitfalls – the school could so easily have been turned into a combination brothel and crack den – instead creating a world in which the girls can run wild. A world in which it seems no-one bats an eyelid at ten year old girls playing with explosives, but God forbid they should ever take up smoking.

Rupert Everett is in fine form as the headmistress Camilla Frinton though admittedly he's no Alistair Simm (then again who is?) and Colin Firth is a more than capable straight man, quite happy to take pot shots at his own career. More surprisingly Russell Brand makes a very effective Flash Harry, While distinctly different to the original in both appearance and manner to George Cole, there his something indefinable about his performance, he could almost be the grandson of the original Flash.

However where this film really succeeds is in the girls themselves. Talulah Riley is the heart and sole of the film as Annabelle Fritton, slowly blossoming from shy awkward daddy's girl into red-blooded St Trinian, and Gemma Arterton as head girl Kelly commands the screen in every scene she's in. Between them Riley and Arterton steal the move from under the noses of the more experienced Everett & Firth.

But it's not just them, a combination of astute casting and good writing ensures that all the students come across as characters in their own right from twin terrors Cloe and Holly Mackie through to the 'Posh Totty', brilliantly underplayed by Tamsin Egerton, Amara Karan and Antonia Bernath.

In years to come this film will be remembered not for the sight of Rupert Everett in drag but for giving screen time to so many of the next generation of starlets.

This film was entertaining and has something for everyone, especially if you are young at heart. There were quite a few in-jokes about certain members of the cast - one of the schools which competed against St Trinian's in the School Challenge quiz was Rupert Everett's old school (Ampleforth) and the "Another Country" comment was brilliant. There were also references to Mr Darcy and of course Colin Firth had another go at the wet-shirt scene. I was impressed by the schoolgirls, who did a good job of convincing me that they were unruly but not clueless and could organise themselves if they wanted to. I am a huge fan of Rupert Everett and he excelled in drag (always knew he would) and his interactions with Colin Firth were as much fun as in their 2 previous outings together (Another Country and Importance of Being Earnest). I was also thrilled to be watching another Ealing Comedy, since I live a stone's throw from the famous studios.

This film is about a group of delinquent school girls trying to save their school from closing using criminal ways.

"St Trinians" tries so hard to be modern, fun and trendy, but it does not work so well. The desperate attempt to update the film by constantly referencing modern films and stars sound tiring. The plot is contrived and uninspired. I have a hard time imagining the girls doing such a job for the school without benefits to themselves. There is also zero character development, making most of the girls faceless and nameless characters. It's a pity really, as Colin Firth an Rupert Everett are very likable in "St Trinians".

"St Trinians" is only marginally entertaining. It's likely that I will forget about it completely in a few months.

Mixed views like the mixed reviews really.

Firstly this is a film for the tweenies (12-15 I would have thought) though on the night we went despite the 12a certificate there were 5 and 6 year olds there. Most of the humour was for kids, though there were enough references to amuse adults and lots of references to other films.

Everett was superb as a the headmistress, and remembering that this was slapstick, absolutely fine. Not so convinced by Colin Firth, but he was OK. Russell Brandt seemed nervous. Otherwise everone else played their roll perfectly. The young actors were splendid.

As stated, a good film for young teenagers who can identify with the schoolgirl antics, and in our cinema they were laughing from the beginning.

Not a patch on the originals? Well different. The originals were 40 to 50 years ago and they were made in a different age. I like them, but do they appeal to 12 and 15 year olds today? This is the problem with remakes, we always compare them with the "classic" and find them wanting.