The story
picks up and discards plot threads almost at random: at turns it's the
story of new girl Beverly (Jodie Whittaker) trying to fit in, a look at
the complicated and amoral set-up inside the school, the various
criminal schemes the girls operate under the mentorship of local crime
spiv Flash harry (Russell Brand, who has now gone on to big things after Forgetting Sarah Marshall), the threat from the new Education
Minister (Colin Firth) to tidy the place up, and the efforts by
headmistress Miss Fritton (Rupert Everett in drag) to fend off the
school's creditors.
All this ends up in a big art heist during an It's Academic-style
TV show hosted by an (at one-stage) drug-addled Stephen Fry, and while
it's not the masterpiece of comic invention a comedy heist should be,
it does feature Everett in drag swinging on a rope.
If
the humour is a bit soft in parts despite the piles of pills,
explosives-packing pre-teens and sleazy double-entendres, the many
enjoyably lightweight performances from the adult cast (almost) make up
for it.
There's a fun energy to this sight-gag filled
film and while it's not completely successful, for what it is, it hits
more than it misses. DVD EXTRAS with Sean Lynch
Quite a few extras on here. The flick didn't really seem to resonate
with Aussie audiences - but that's neither here nor there. You get the
feeling that this one might just pick up quite a cult following on DVD.
There
is the usual fluff (The Official School Diary featurette,
Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scenes and a woeful Girls Aloud "St.
Trinian's Chant Music" Video).
However, the excellent Blooper
Reel (it's near impossible to find a decent blooper reel these days!!)
more than makes up for any serious flaws.
Conclusion:
Movie 60% Extras: 65%
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