The History Boys

In The History Boys — adapted from the Tony-winning play about bionically precocious British lads — Richard Griffiths is the blinkered shambles who sees the boy behind the test score but sneaks an occasional grope. Boys‘ boys are urbane and poetic — but not exactly relatable — in tearing through Alan Bennett’s erudite script, while the instructors (especially Griffiths) feel like real, mistake-prone people. B+