Spud tackles teenage subject matter in both comedic and dramatic tone, but it does so in a way that's incredibly predictable and extremely satisfactory. It's average in its way by attaching to the overly familiar story of a teenage boy dealing with school stress, friendship, peer pressure, girlfriends and much more stupidity.

This sweet tale is undeniably quite adorable and is reasonably likeable. However, it's not the greatest kind of likeable. Seriously, it's simply only because of how the themes are treated. Alike any boys' boarding school movie, there's plenty of peer pressure and silly occurrences. They're often funny, but also devolve too much into the predictable and overly normal state. These stories are also predictably accompanied by a few of "uncool" underdogs, which Spud definitely doesn't ignore.

The performances? They're fine. The result is the handful of quirky characters, teachers and students, who are amusing but just seem unlikeable. Spud isn't unique or a true star or a hidden gem of a boarding school story, but it's reasonably entertaining, resolving everything in a satisfying way. The actual plot and ideas are usually the main problem.

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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!

SPOILERS

The crazy eight is a bully group at the beginning of the movie. They picked on Gecko and later Spud. Gecko even calls the school hell. When Spud visits Gecko in hospital Gecko tells him that he shouldn't listen to Rambo and try to impress him.

After awhile we see Spud preparing for the Oliver Twist. I was actually proud of him when he put on the wig because that was the sign that he doesn't care what the crazy eight thinks. (they were picking on him that he looks like a sheep with the wig). When he is invited to come out on the stage he TAKES OFF HIS WIG!

For all three movies I have been hoping that he will confront the crazy eight. I couldn't enjoy their adventures having on my mind what they had done to Gecko.