Our take
I can’t get a song out of my head from this movie: the 1985 UK hit Desire As from Prefab Sprout.
It plays when the two main characters, a sensitive kid who’s bullied by his school for not liking rugby, and the school’s rugby star; talk over the “Berlin Wall” that separates their dorm room.
The song echoes “It’s perfect as it stands, so why then crush it in your perfect hands?”. These two seemingly incompatible personalities form a friendship that comes under threat from their school’s traditional authority, especially as one of them is revealed to be gay.
It might seem like a tough premise, but Handsome Devil is actually a comedy. It’s a sweet and easy coming-of-age comedy.
The story
A music-mad 16-year-old outcast at a rugby-mad boarding school forms an unlikely friendship with his dashing new roommate.
Who picked it
Bilal Zouheir is the founder of A Good Movie to Watch. He is based in the US and a member of the Nevada Film Critics Society. He grew up in Morocco, where he learned English from watching movies. Bilal's work with A Good Movie to Watch is focused on offering an alternative to streaming algorithms, which are often used as commercial tools by streaming services.
“Sweet and easy” about sums it up. Nice little twist mid tale, although the rugby scenes leave a lot to be desired. Not sure I’ve ever seen a rugby team leave a field looking as spotless as that, let alone in muddy Ireland!
All the clichés but still a great coming of age film that entertains to the end.