We find many British films to be layered and realistic with humor woven in. This does not disappoint! The boys are fun and trying to find their way into Cambridge. They are accepting of each other without bullying which is refreshing. Most of the boys went on to act in blockbusters like Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and Harry Potter series...fun to see them so young here. Just a nice way to spend a couple of hours enjoying a great movie from the U.K.

no doubt - it is more stage than set. but this is one of virtues. because, in strange manner, it does it alive. the acting, the dialogues, the tension - including the sexual tension - the characters who propose models and attitudes , show vulnerabilities and defines the small details who makes in the profound sense teaching. a film who has all - humor and clever script, the best actors and science to use the stereotypes in seductive manner. because it is more a film about dreams and self definition, about courage to give and to inspire the right manner to assume the life. sure, Richard Griffiths is great . but it is not a surprise. the good point is the wise balance between themes and portraits and styles. and the optimistic message. maybe, a film about school. but , more important, a film about freedom making.

I found the History Boys movie quite inspiring as a student working towards my goal. It was fascinating for me to see how young boys in particular, can be so determined and driven when it comes to their future and their careers, it's good to see that these guys like to be seen on a certain standard. I think that a movie like this could be an eye opener for high school students. It shows them that hard work and determination can truly pay off in the end. They need to realize that a little hard work can take you so far in life and that is what the History Boys movie, to me, portrays.With regards to Hector and Irwin, I feel that these two teachers were both similar but simultaneously different. They were both great educators to the boys and challenged them outside of their comfort zone but also allowed them to show case some of their talents and other things that they were good at, which allowed them to feel calm and non threatened in their learning environment.I do not agree with what Hector had done to the boys, but I found it so amazing how the boys handled themselves as well as Hector. They did not make him feel ashamed but they also didn't allow him to fully violate them. They had a kind of unspoken understanding among them all.

Set in the early Eighties, THE HISTORY BOYS looks at the fate of a group of boys preparing for the Oxbridge examination in a context where they are forced into succeeding. Felix, the head teacher (Clive Merrison) is so obsessed with the need for success that he engaged part-time history teacher Irwin (Stephen Campbell Moore) to work with his boys, even if that means eroding some of the teaching time normally occupied by maverick Hector (Richard Griffiths). Based on a Royal National Theatre success, Alan Bennett's screenplay looks at what "education" actually means; does it actually consist simply of learning information so as to pass exams, or is it a process of lifelong learning? Hector certainly embraces the latter cause, but his ideas are not necessarily embraced by the boys, especially ambitious go-getter Dakin (Dominic Cooper). The screenplay also looks at the subject of homosexuality in schools, memorably addressed in Eighties films such as ANOTHER COUNTRY (1982). In THE HISTORY BOYS Bennett takes a sympathetic view: many teachers - including Hector and Irwin - are often frustrated by the need to sustain a respectable facade, even if that means repressing their sexual instincts. This repression often leads to the breaking of taboos - for example, abusing the boys. On the other hand the boys themselves are equally repressed, partly by an educational culture that imposes certain ideals of masculinity on them (to be 'successful' you must also be good with women), and partly by the belief that homosexuality is a disease. Posner (Samuel Barnett), the smallest of the scholarship boys, experiences this conflict most acutely. In the end the film calls for a more liberal point of view: while moral standards should be sustained, perhaps educational cultures could be more accommodating towards those - learners and educators alike - who desire to be different.