Does anyone else think James McAvoy is way too good for this film?

It's a film that centres around one character so ofcourse he stands out, I actually think this is a very underrated film. Just look at the other stars who have come out of it Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve, Dominic Cooper, they were all great in there roles. If anything I would say McAvoy's character was much better than the others, but he was very well cast and much of why the film is so watchable and entertaining is down to him.

McAvoy is certainly the best thing about the film, but it was 6 years ago so he probably wasn't in a place to be so picky about his roles.

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do you realise how many actors in this film have become better than him!!

acting all round was top notch and the majority have gone on to better things.

No he certainly didn't stand out- it was a top cast

He was okay. Not bad, of course, but nowhere near as spectacular as you're making out. It doesn't come close to McAvoy's performances in Filth and Atonement.

My main issue with him in this, though, is his Essex accent. It's all over the place, seemingly yo-yoing in every scene and sometimes switching to a side character from Sexy Beast. I know it's based on a novel, but they could've quite easily made Brian from a small coastal town in Scotland, allowing him to use his actual accent. Wouldn't have taken anything from the overall story.

It seems picky, but accents bug me if they're done lazily. Although, the scene in the grotty Italian restaurant was terrific. One of the highlights of the film.

no he is wayyyyy too old for this role.
When I saw him in the scene at the beginning I though OMg that guy is like 30 and he's supposed to be fresh 18. And so I checked on imdb and indeed he was around 27-28... I dont get it..

No, great actors usually make a fluffy film like this at the start of their careers just to get their names out there.

I like this film, it's got it's heart in the right place. Could do without James Corden in it, he just ruins most stuff. But I thought McAvoy was charming and Rebecca Hall was loveable (would have liked her in more roles like this). Benedict Cumberbatch almost steals the film. It's got a great soundtrack too. Alice Eve is hot too which doesn't hurt.

I like it.

Nope. It's a decent little movie, also it was early in his career before he broke out, same goes for Rebecca Hall and Benedict Cumberbatch.

The cast as a whole is filled with very talented but relatively unknown (circa 2006) British actors. McAvoy, Hall & Cumberbatch are some of the finest British actors of their generation. You also have the likes of Charles Dance, Mark Gatiss, James Corden (a prat but he's went on to become quite a big name as a talk show presenter) and Catherine Tate who was big in the UK at the time with 'The Catherine Tate Show'.