Handsome Devil

Synopsis: Ned Roche (Fionn O’Shea) is the sensitive, bullied outsider at this prestigious Irish boarding school where rugby is king. When new boy, Conor Masters (Nicholas Galitzine), transfers from another school with a reputation as both a fighter and a ruby star, Ned is horrified to discover that they are to share a room. The two boys take an instant dislike to each other, until their new English teacher, Mr. Sherry (Andrew Scott), begins to drill into them the value of finding one’s own voice.  When they discover a mutual enjoyment of music, they also discover a friendship that ultimately causes problems for both of them, especially from the rugby coach, Pascal (Moe Dunford), who also harbours some deep suspicions about Mr Sherry.

There are moments in this sweet and unassuming movie that reminded me of the first twenty minutes or so of Neil Armfield’s Holding the Man (2015)  when the two school boys – one with athletic prowess and the other with an artistic sensibility – find each other within the testosterone-fuelled environment of an elite, football-loving school. But, where Armfield’s film uses those moments of attraction as the start of a harrowing and tragic journey, Butler’s story leads us down a lighter, easier path towards a destination that is predictable but ultimately enjoyable.

Whilst it may not offer many surprises as it navigates its well-travelled road, Handsome Devil does offer us a story with a good heart and some terrific performances. O’Shea, with his shock of red hair, is very funny and disarming in the way he faces up to the relentless bullying and sexual innuendos with an amusing mix of irrepressible optimism and philosophical resignation. By contrast, Galitzine is suitably broody and internalised enough to be both attractive and dangerous in equal measure (which is just what you want in this kind of role). He’s quite believable as the boy who has a secret to hide and who finds himself caught between the broad popularity afforded by his physique and abilities and the intimate friendship kindled by his more sensitive side. And, of course, there’s Scott in the ‘Robin Williams’ role as the unconventional English teacher who doesn’t quite get the boys up standing on their desks, but does inspire them to seek and value their own true voices.  He’s such a reliable actor, turning in really strong performances in films like this year’s Denial and even in the current James Bond franchise. Here, he finds just the right note for a character who needs to arouse curiosity and a passion for learning amongst his students whilst simultaneously arousing suspicion in the football coach – a less complex more clichéd performance by Dunford. In amongst all this is Mr Curly, the school’s hapless headmaster, played with a lovely sense of distraction by Michael Elhatton, a small role but a nice portrayal of a weary soul caught between the competing interests of regaining the school’s tarnished football reputation and mediating the childish squabbles between the coach and the English teacher.

Feeling like it’s caught somewhere between Peter Weir’s Dead Poets Society (1989) and Bill Forsythe’s Gregory’s Girl (1981), Handsome Devil is a movie that’s certainly worth the price of the ticket and probably won’t disappoint fans of this kind of adolescent schooldays coming-of-age story, but if you’re looking for a more radical take on this tried and true genre, then you might be better to seek out a more accomplished classic like  Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

 

 

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