If you watched the recent Oscar telecast, you might have gotten the impression that The Last King of Scotland was a one-character movie starring Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin. Whitaker gave a towering, brilliant performance, to be sure, but the movie also featured nice work from James McAvoy, who played the young doctor who became Amin's personal physician.

With Starter for 10, a modest, almost negligible British comedy, audiences have a chance to see McAvoy in another context. This time, he plays Brian Jackson, a working-class student who's accepted at Bristol University. Perhaps as a way of seeking the approval he might have gotten from his late father, Brian has a burning desire to compete on a TV show called University Challenge, the British equivalent of the old GE College Bowl.

University Challenge gives brainy university kids a chance to show the range of their knowledge by responding as quickly as possible to a variety of questions, sort of a high-minded version of Trivial Pursuit.

At university, Brian also finds himself smitten with a sexy young woman (Alice Eve) who's also on the team. But we immediately know he's a better match for Rebecca (Rebecca Hall), a Jewish coed who spends most of her time protesting injustice.

Set during the 1980s, the movie mixes period detail (much of it conveyed through music) with a typical coming-of-age story. Starter for 10 tends to drift a bit, but the performances are engaging and the characters move through situations that can be amusing if not momentous.

Starter includes nice turns by Dominic Cooper (as Brian's homeboy pal) and Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays British Prime Minister William Pitt in Amazing Grace. Here, Cumberbatch portrays the preposterously serious captain of the team that goes to University Challenge, where the movie takes an unexpected turn.

Although Starter for 10 raises a few ethical issues, it doesn't dig deeply enough to stir up unbridled enthusiasm or undue scorn. Amusement prevails.Starter for Ten

A British kid competes on a TV quiz show.

• Grade: B-

• Rated: PG-13

• Running time: 96 minutes