Tom Brown's Schooldays

Alex Pettyfer stars as the titular Tom Brown in this BBC adaptation of Thomas Hughes' classic novel, a tale about bullies, heroes and courage set in 19th-century England. As Tom moves through his adolescence as a student at the Rugby School for Boys, he must learn to stand up for himself against an imposing set of obstacles, including ridicule from his teachers and his classmates. Stephen Fry plays the reform-minded new headmaster.

Excellent cast and not a dull moment. There's a character in the movie that you will want to strangle with your own bare hands, but alas, that is not possible. Darn! I thought this would just be another remake that only an English teacher would enjoy. I was wrong. Sadly, I'm used to all sort of Disney/Hollywood gliz and action to distract me so at first this was slow going but as I got into it it really surprised me how well done it was.