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Light as a feather and immensely likable, this amiable British romantic comedy further confirms the gifts of star James McAvoy, whose commendable efforts in The Last King of Scotland were unjustly, if understandably, unsung in the shadow of Forest Whitaker's towering performance. McAvoy plays a first year university student sometime in the 1980s who is caught between the glamorous girl of his dreams (Alice Eve) and a social activist friend (Rebecca Hall) while pursuing his ultimate dream of competing in the popular quiz show University Challenge (which is there the rather obscure title comes from). Stateside youth comedies often boast similar premises, but rarely are they sweet and warm as this, with charm, personality, and period flavor taking the place of the usual American crutch of crassness.
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