‘Handsome Devil’ has two young men in the lead roles who are quite credible and refreshing. However, if you are familiar with the genre, you will recognise a number of things. The inspirational English teacher is a throwback to Robin Williams in ‘Dead Poets Society’ and when he turns out to be gay it is reminiscent of Stephen Campbell Moore in ‘The History Boys’. The setup is familiar and reminded me of Eddie Redmayne and Tom Sturridge being thrown together in a shared school boarding house room in ‘Like Minds’. The cliched sports master and rugby coach left me cold, although I did enjoy the unique portrayal of the Headmaster. The timing leading up to the climax and denouement requires a suspension of disbelief.
