'
Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

The History Boys

Play trailer Poster for The History Boys R Released Nov 21, 2006 1h 49m Comedy Drama LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
66% Tomatometer 103 Reviews 70% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
An unorthodox teacher (Stephen Campbell Moore) and his colleagues (Richard Griffiths, Frances de la Tour) at a British grammar school try to prepare gifted young charges for the upcoming Oxford and Cambridge entrance exams. The students absorb the facts and figures thrown at them by academia, and in the process, they also learn a little about life.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

The History Boys

The History Boys

What to Know

Critics Consensus

While not quite having the impact of its original stage version, The History Boys nevertheless is a witty and involving school drama.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (103) Critics Reviews
Robert Hanks Independent (UK) Rated: 3/5 Nov 17, 2011 Full Review Stephen Garrett Time Out Rated: 3/6 Feb 3, 2007 Full Review Toddy Burton Austin Chronicle If you like your British movies quick, raunchy, reflective, and bittersweet, then The History Boys is for you. Rated: 3.5/5 Dec 30, 2006 Full Review Geoff Berkshire Metromix.com The play's the thing -- the only thing -- here Rated: 3/5 Jul 6, 2010 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com In attempting to absolve the perverse actions of a teacher on the basis of his apparent tutoring skills, Alan Bennett has created a dubious work of fiction that is beyond empathy or humor. Rated: C- Apr 15, 2009 Full Review Betsy Bozdech Hollywood.com The History Boys is much less about lighting and composition than it is about Bennett's sharp, insightful script. Rated: 4/5 Nov 20, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1000+) audience reviews
Leo V Well, first of all it is written by Alan Bennett, and directed by Nicholas Hytner . Then there is the cast, which is intact after runs in London, Australia and New York (Where I saw it). We are lucky to have it available and as the years tick by we can recommend it to our grandchildren, which is what I am doing in April of 2025. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/13/25 Full Review Audience Member This is one of the worst films I've ever seen dull and boring . With the overrated james Corden. Peodo teacher awful Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member I was expecting this film to be great, based on reviews. However, I was very disappointed, mainly due to it being set in the wrong time. It was supposedly set in 1983, but the school and characters were clearly better placed in the 1950s. The weird teacher-pupil relationships creeped me out, and the blatant snobbery from the outset made it impossible for me to finish watching. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member Phenomenal film start to finish Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Tried watching this twice now, got the furthest the second time. The pupil actors are unbelievable as non-public school pupils. The sex story between pupil and secretary is also a bit of a stretch as is the interplay between the homosexual general studies teacher and the pupils. The dialogue is insulting to the achievements of people who do work hard to get into Oxbridge yet also manages to insult all pupils who get into other Universities .... this is through the tone. I bet Bennett wrote it better, I appreciate his work, but this totally fails to be convincing and realistic, which is critical when we are being shown a famiiar Universe. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member A witty script full of quips that go beyond today's typical "dumb humor." The film's main theme questions the real meaning and purpose of education, while also addressing the difficulties of homosexuality and possible outcomes of individual choices throughout different life stages. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The History Boys

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

View All Cast and Crew

Nicholas Hytner

Director

Richard Griffiths

Hector

Frances de la Tour

Mrs. Lintott

Stephen Campbell Moore

Tom Irwin

Samuel Barnett

Posner

Dominic Cooper

Dakin

More Like This

View All Best Movies to Stream at Home
Confetti 57% 48% Confetti Watchlist Outrageous! 100% 82% Outrageous! Watchlist Transamerica 77% 83% Transamerica Watchlist Happy Endings 54% 63% Happy Endings Watchlist Breakfast on Pluto 58% 80% Breakfast on Pluto Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All The History Boys photos

The History Boys

View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis An unorthodox teacher (Stephen Campbell Moore) and his colleagues (Richard Griffiths, Frances de la Tour) at a British grammar school try to prepare gifted young charges for the upcoming Oxford and Cambridge entrance exams. The students absorb the facts and figures thrown at them by academia, and in the process, they also learn a little about life.
Director
Nicholas Hytner
Producer
Kevin Loader, Damian Jones, Nicholas Hytner
Screenwriter
Alan Bennett
Distributor
Fox
Production Co
BBC, Free Range Films, DNA Films
Rating
R (Sexual Content|Language)
Genre
Comedy, Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 21, 2006, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$2.7M
Runtime
1h 49m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
Most Popular at Home Now