Director: Donovan Marsh
Running Time: 103 mins
Certificate: 15
Release Date: September 3rd 2012
For the last decade or so, John Cleese has given the distinct impression that he’s not really that interested in doing anything more than get his cheque and pay off his ex-wives, rather than really putting any effort in. It’s nice then that with Spud he gives us a reminder that he’s a genuinely talented chap, and not just with comedy.
Based on a book by John van de Ruit, Spud follows young John Milton (Troye Sivan), who’s about to start at the rather posh South African boarding school, Michaelhouse, just as Nelson Mandela is being freed from prison (although the political changes in South Africa play a perhaps surprisingly small role in the movie). It doesn’t take long for him to feel like an outsider, not least because he’s smaller than most of the other boys and gets the nickname Spud when they see the size of his genitals (needless to say, it’s not a compliment). [Read more…]