If you didn’t know anything about St Trinian’s other than the fact that it is set in a girls’ boarding school, you would think when the film opens onto a set of beautiful green playing fields that you were in for a delightfully twee telling of an Enid Blyton tale. Then you see the burning car and it’s probably when you see the skull on a stick with a knife in it that you realise Enid’s out and anarchy’s in.

The film opens with the meek and timid and somewhat ‘geeky’ Annabelle Fritton, niece of the highly eccentric headmistress Miss Fritton (Rupert Everett), being admitted to the school and straight from the start you realise the school isn’t like the one you went to. It is an anarchical and very fun school for uncontrollable girls. However the school’s existence is under threat because not only has the headmistress not been paying her taxes but the mean grim education minister, Colin Firth, is determined to bring discipline and order to the school. A motley crew of ruthless girls and teachers unite to save the school with hilarious consequences.

So what is there that’s good about it? Well it is very funny. The plot, while not exactly unique, leaves plenty of scope for various humorous incidents such as a hockey match that escalates into an out and out brawl. The casting is spot on, except for Tallulah Riley who delivers a lack lustre dull performance as Annabelle Fritton. Rupert Everett excels as Camilla Fritton; Colin Firth plays himself well as he does in most things; but it is Gemma Arterton who steals the show as Kelly Jones, the head girl with attitude. Hardly surprising therefore that she bagged herself an Empire Award nomination for best newcomer and a national movie award nomination for best female performance.

With the comedy and the excellent cast this film is certain to delight. However the comedy does jar, at times, on people over the age of 10. But what I really liked about it was the way in which the film was completely removed from any sickening ‘moral’ agenda. There are none of the ‘hollywood tear jerk’ moments that are so prevalent in films such as Marley and Me and the film has no qualms about showing people behave badly and be rewarded for it. You don’t get the impression that the film is trying to make you a better person. All the film tries to do is entertain you, and in doing so it definitely succeeds.

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