Spud (2010)

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.

I enjoyed 'Spud' today. I wasn't expecting much, which always helps. It was filmed in my old school, Michaelhouse, and it shows it very well for the beautiful place that it is - in a lovely setting.Mostly the action is quite accurate too, for live in that particular boarding school, as I remember it. It hasn't changed all that much, either, over the past 35 odd years. The old Chemistry Lecture theatre is now the English classroom in the film, which seems slightly odd. The theatre was being built when I was there - a boy called Cook, fell through the skylight onto the floor below, leaving his teethmarks in the floor. He fell in front of the painting of the three witches in Macbeth - which I didn't see in the film, sensible.The acting is good, and the South African accents authentic without being too grating. John Cleese acts very well - an not his usual comic style at all. I'm not sure how you'll find the film if you didn't go to school there - probably better because you'll not be thinking of what all the different places meant to you, over the years!

Having enjoyed the book and grown up around that time I was anxious to see how the movie turned out. Many nostalgic memories were aroused during the movie. I thought it was well made and true to the book - a good mix of humour and the serious business of growing up. The acting was good (Cleese was brilliant - exactly how I pictured the guv) and the scenery was great - I love the Natal Midlands. The crazy eight could have been better developed. I wanted to see more of Mad Dog and Vern.Sadly I don't think it is going to appeal to a wider audience outside South Africa. I imagine that most guys from the US just wont get it or appreciate it as they will not be familiar with the historical context of the time. I hope I am wrong because it is a good movie.

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.