The History Boys
2006 · Movie · R · 109 min · ★ 6.6 · 70% critics
A rowdy group of gifted schoolboys in 1980s Yorkshire crams for elite university entrance, pulled between a free-spirited teacher who values learning for its own sake and a newer instructor focused on winning exams. As pressure from the school leadership mounts, the boys juggle ambition, identity, and uncomfortable boundaries in the classroom.
Based on The History Boys
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Streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 2006
- Release date
- 2006-10-02
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 109 min
- Critic score
- 70/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.6/10 (215 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you like talky, witty school dramas about ambition and identity with a sometimes uneasy edge; Not for you if you want fast pacing or are put off by uncomfortable teacher-student dynamics, like in Dead Poets Society.
Pros: sharp dialogue; strong performances; dry British humor | Cons: stagey feel; uneven character depth; uncomfortable teacher-student behavior
Themes
- high school
- northern england
- scholarship
- becoming an adult
- education
- exam
- based on play or musical
- oxford
- cambridge
- yorkshire
- teacher
- high school teacher
- +11 more
Awards & recognition
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Cast & crew
Richard Griffiths
as Hector
Stephen Campbell Moore
as Irwin
Dominic Cooper
as Dakin
Samuel Barnett
as Posner
James Corden
as Timms
Russell Tovey
as Rudge
Samuel Anderson
as Crowther
Jamie Parker
as Scripps
Andrew Knott
as Lockwood
Sacha Dhawan
as Akhtar
Directed by Nicholas Hytner