Anyone with a fondness for the midcentury cartoons and films that inspired this scrappy comedy will appreciate the latest trip to the titular British boarding school.
St. Trinian's (2009)
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Reviews Counted:38
Fresh:13
Rotten:25
Average Rating:4.3/10
Consensus: Both naughtier and campier than Ronald Searle's original post war series, this St. Trinian's leans on high jinks instead of performances or witty dialogue.
Theatrical Release:21-12-2007
Synopsis: It's no more Mr. Nice Guy for Colin Firth in this anarchic British comedy. The former Mr. Darcy stars as an uptight education minister who wants to shut down the fun at St. Trinian's all-girls... It's no more Mr. Nice Guy for Colin Firth in this anarchic British comedy. The former Mr. Darcy stars as an uptight education minister who wants to shut down the fun at St. Trinian's all-girls school. From raising their hemlines to blowing up small buildings, the sassy students ignore the rules, especially when it comes to saving their precious school from closing. ST TRINIAN'S features some of Britain's best talent, including Lena Headley, Russell Brand, Stephen Fry, Celia Imrie, and Rupert Everett, who dons drag as the school's headmistress. Inspired by the work of artist Ronald Searle, this comedy follows in a series of films about the girls' school, including THE BELLES OF ST. TRINIAN'S. [More]
Starring: Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Lena Headey, Jodie Whittaker
Starring: Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Lena Headey, Jodie Whittaker, Russell Brand, Anna Chancellor, Stephen Fry, Celia Imrie, Toby Jones, Caterina Murino, Fenella Woolgar, Mischa Barton, Gemma Arterton
Director: Oliver Parker, Barnaby Thompson
Director: Oliver Parker, Barnaby Thompson
Screenwriter: Piers Ashworth, Nick Moorcroft
Producer: Oliver Parker, Barnaby Thompson
Composer: Charlie Mole
Reviews for St. Trinian's
A stunningly witless revival of the infamous British film series about a girls’ boarding school.
St. Trinian’s is a hoot, but it’s thrown-together, haphazard feel will only grate on the sensibilities of cineastes or aesthetic and moral prudes bent on decrying “yoof” culture -- although it’s only moderately rude by contemporary standards.
Sadly, the level of deviance hovers around iCarly levels, as does the sophistication of the humor.
It’s an impressive bit of slumming by some name actors revisiting a childhood favorite -- a bit as if Hollywood had somehow convinced William Hurt to help restart Lost in Space, or Robert De Niro to do a Bullwinkle movie. Oh, wait.
Despite a plucky soundtrack and frantic editing, the movie shows otherwise wan interest in the gaggle of faux-transgressive bad girls who bare their dulled claws at England’s establishment ethos...
With the right attitude this cheerfully calculated effort to update the old girl for a tween market can be enjoyed in all its endearing awfulness, as a loony High School Musical with posher accents and a lot more going on upstairs.
Rowdy 12-year-old British girls might get some modicum of narcissistic pleasure from "St. Trinian's" (loosely based on Ronald Searle's WWII era cartoons), but no one else will.
...the relentless emphasis on off-the-wall shenanigans proves instrumental in cultivating an unexpected (yet palpable) atmosphere of oppressiveness.
Everett's Camilla Fritton, sporting a blonde wig reminiscent of another Camilla, spits out lines through prominent teeth and indulges in 'me time' at the easel, brush in hand %u2026 There are some good ideas and a few laughs, but it's all a bit Camilla-on
Lacking any really sharp dialogue, the film just about goes the distance by juggling its characters in short, sketch-like scenes and inserting occasional musical montages.
Everett almost single-handedly sustains the film, thanks to a nicely pitched turn as the headmistress with a heart.
Latest News for St. Trinian's
August 16, 2009:
Trailer & Poster review ![]()
More...
May 19, 2008:
Cannes 2008: St Trinian's Girls Return
Ealing Studios announce St. Trinian's 2 in Cannes. More...
January 07, 2008:
Gemma Arterton Chosen as Daniel Craig's Girl for Bond 22?
Once it's been established who's actually playing the martini-loving Agent 007, the three biggest questions surrounding any Bond film are -- in no particular order -- what car... More...
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