Spud tackles teenage subject matter in both comedic and dramatic tone, but it does so in a way that's incredibly predictable and extremely satisfactory. It's average in its way by attaching to the overly familiar story of a teenage boy dealing with school stress, friendship, peer pressure, girlfriends and much more stupidity.
This sweet tale is undeniably quite adorable and is reasonably likeable. However, it's not the greatest kind of likeable. Seriously, it's simply only because of how the themes are treated. Alike any boys' boarding school movie, there's plenty of peer pressure and silly occurrences. They're often funny, but also devolve too much into the predictable and overly normal state. These stories are also predictably accompanied by a few of "uncool" underdogs, which Spud definitely doesn't ignore.
The performances? They're fine. The result is the handful of quirky characters, teachers and students, who are amusing but just seem unlikeable. Spud isn't unique or a true star or a hidden gem of a boarding school story, but it's reasonably entertaining, resolving everything in a satisfying way. The actual plot and ideas are usually the main problem.
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