Movies list for a kid going to Scotland for Uni

Cafe Society
1

So my very American, Southern California strain, son is headed to Scotland for University. He has been accepted to Aberdeen, St. Andrews and Edinburgh.

He has not been to Scotland since he was 6, or to the UK since he was 14.

So why not let Hollywood, et al provide some grounding!!!

Already planned viewings:

  • Braveheart
  • Rob Roy

Those were easy, and I know full of historical gaffes, mistakes, etc. So I turn to the dope - over the next several months - what other bits of cinema should he watch? Netflix and Amazon available preferred - international tuition is going to sting a bit.

2

Wee Geordie, which remains the definitive motion picture about Olympic hammer throwing.

3

Trainspotting

TCMF-2L

4

Local Hero.

5

Damn, you beat me to it!!!

Another good one: One Day (2011) Unlike many other movies set in Scotland, this one is modern and urban (set in Edinburgh) rather than rustic and quaint.

6

And*** Shallow Grave***, for a change of pace!

7

There was a Scottish sit-com called*** Rab C Nesbitt*** in the late 80s through the 90s about a drunken, proudly unemployed, lowest of the low Glaswegian and his family and friends. For Americans the nearest equivalent show that they may have heard of would be Shameless.

Rab C Nesbitt was notorious for the dense accents used together with Scottish slang. Everyone I know who watched it (and that includes some Scottish people) watched with subtitles on and it still took many episodes to slowly acclimatise to the language and begin to work out from context what was being said.

It is a reasonably funny sit-com but I would suggest watch it and if your son can even start to understand the accents then relax. At university they will be much, much easier to understand. Until they get drunk.

TCMF-2L

8

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, starring Maggie Smith.

Tunes of Glory, starring Alec Guinness and John Mills.
Two by Disney:

Greyfriar’s Bobby.

The Three Lives of Thomasina.

9

What subject? I went to Aberdeen, myself, for post grad.

I liked ‘Festival’ myself. But that’s funnier if you’ve been. ‘The Illusionist’ (animated, not Ed Norton) is good and was partly made in Dundee.

And another vote for Local Hero.

10

I live in Aberdeen. What does he intend studying?

Btw if he is a Scottish citizen then tuition is free.

11

Gregory’s Girl is a great film, and is very much “ordinary Scotland”, well the central belt anyway.

12

Well, my wife is obsessed with Outlander… :wink:

I went to Stirling Uni for a year - really, really enjoyed it and the people. Not much to add other than to say if your son is the least bit up for it, he will have an amazing time.

13

International Relations is his area of study.

14

We are as American as they get, so I will be subsidizing the system instead. Happily - as it is still less than the cost of local unis.

15

Where is he leaning? What does he want to study?

Scotland is typically a year longer than the rest of the UK?

I haven’t seen it, but maybe Stone of Destiny for ancient + more contemporary history? And some Billy Connolly?

Then I guess we don’t want him to choose Edinburgh?

16

Get him to watch Still Game which is the funniest sitcom I’ve ever seen.

17

Well, since we’ve covered two of the early '80s Bill Forsyth movies, we might as well go for the third, Comfort and Joy, which takes its inspiration from the Glasgow ice-cream wars.

Not quite in the same league as Gregory’s Girl and Local Hero, but still quirky fun. Like Local Hero it has a Mark Knopfler soundtrack, and like Gregory’s Girl it has Clare Grogan (the first Kristine Kochanski in Red Dwarf).

18

This is awesome everyone - I really appreciate it. Might be coming out for a visit in May, will let the local Dopers know.

19

Seconded.

Give the sequel a skip, though.

20

Still making occasional series of it, broadcast one a couple of years ago…