Hatley High (2003) User Reviews

Fun and cool

[Cablebot3000 · 7/10 · 19 August 2008]

This movie about, which is about a boy who moves to a new town and is good at chess, is pretty fun and amusing. The storyline and characters are well done and they are all likable. There is also some sentimentality to it, which I found to be a good factor instead of the same old cliché that a lot of movies like this have. The comedy part of it is also well done. Its not LOL material, but its still funny and quirky. Even the romance is not bad. Its different from some of the main teen comedies. And lastly, I am glad this wasn't the usual sex comedy. It is a pretty clean, and for the most part a family (sort of). I rate it 7/10. (my rating) PG-13 for language including sex and drug references, and for some sexual content

fun satire gets repetitive

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 20 July 2018]

In the town of North Hatley, chess mania has taken over the local high school. New student Tommy Linklater likes to do his magic tricks. He is recruited for the chess team, The Knights, due to his late mother's legendary chess skills. Hyacinthe Marquez (Rachelle Lefevre) is the head cheerleader and honor student.

This has a fun satire premise of switching the coolness factor between jocks and the chess club. It's kinda funny for a little while but it gets repetitive. The writing is not funny enough. Other than Lefevre, the cast isn't good enough. It's got one good idea but it fails to build on it.

Fun and Clever

[taniav · 6 November 2004]

I liked this movie, as most Canadian movies tend to be less commercial and aesthetically cleaner as a consequence. It somehow manages to make dorks look cool, if only life were like that... The movie had a lot of potential, and it could have been a lot better. It starts off good then it falls into "head of the class"/ sitcom clichés with the chess plot the focus of the film, and it loses all its smarts. A shame because the kids seem smart and the lead is cute. I liked the soundtrack, it sounds like some gawky teenager in an arts highschool put it together on his synth alone in his garage, with mac and cheese in his braces and dressed in black (visualize bad skin), you can't tell if its crap or cool, but I really like it, it sounds a bit techno in an eighties depeche mode-esque. Does anyone know who is on the soundtrack?

Another quirky Canadian movie!

[nessie_monster · 10/10 · 5 October 2004]

I had never heard of this movie until last Saturday when it was playing on one of my movie channels. A quick trip to IMDb.com produced a rating of 6.3/10 and only 72 votes. The user comments gave me hope, however, and I decided to give it a try. Once again, a low budget Canadian movie has proved to be a quirky little gem of a movie. We laughed all the way through this movie (Canadians might have a strange sense of humour though - I am not sure). The acting and writing were solid and music was used in a way that added a lot of humour to the movie. This movie is a satire of other movies (typical high school sports movies or new kid in town movies) but it is not just full of superficial jokes - it has more depth to it because of the real issues that it addresses. Mostly, though, it is just very funny. The fact that no one has heard of this movie but everyone has probably heard of White Chicks (No, I have not seen it but I am pretty sure it is not nearly as funny as this movie - probably not even 10% as funny) just proves to me again that star power still beats quality in the film industry. I hope that their next collaborations (15/Love and House) are just as good.

Now, are you done listening to me? Good - now go out and rent this movie! :)

What a Great Movie

[filmwiz33 · 10/10 · 3 October 2004]

I saw this at The San Diego Film Festival, and i think it was the best movie there. Everything about it was just brilliant. The acting was all top notch from everybody. I considered the movie an ensemble piece because everybody was just equally as good as the next person. The screen writing was also awesome. It was extremely Rushmore-esqu. But for me thats a good thing. After i saw the movie i met the director, and he's one of the nicest guys anyone could ever meet. I really hope this gets a U.S. release. I actually think if marketed right, this could become the next Napolian Dynamite (only this movie is much better). Now i just have to wait for their next movie(Prom Wars).

It's the American football movie recast well as a chess piece ...

[landon-1 · 13 August 2004]

Staged in a small town that worships chess this movie kept me smiling all the way through. Even though it comes off as a play on the typical American "worship the football goods" type movie there are many of details that might not be apparent at first viewing. A combination of familial loss, new town acclimatization, cold war history and rook envy come together well in a movie fit for pretty much everyone.

The main character, Tommy, did a good job of coming across as a complicated young man who has the initial idea of who he is but still has the rough edges to work on. Hyacinth, well, other than everyone falling in love with her while she keeps Tommy dancing, I expect to see her again in more movies as she has a good energy that is transferred here.

This is a movie that makes me glad to be a Canadian!

A Great Movie about High School Chess

[samsloan-1 · 10/10 · 20 May 2006]

This is a great movie, long overlooked. A small town high school is nuts about chess and everybody plays The big showdown comes when a team from the Soviet Union is flown in to play the big match. The coach for Hatley High is a Soviet defector who defected during the last chess match between the two teams. The new Russian coach is a Russian nationalist, and the rivalry is personal.

On the night before the big showdown, the Russian team captain, Anya Petrovich, played by Ilona Elkin, seduces the Hatley High captain, played by James A. Woods, and tricks him by putting handcuffs on him and locking in the principal's office. When the Hatley High Captain does not appear for the big final match, the Hatley High team will be forfeited unless somebody can be pulled off the bench to play the big final game.

The creators of this movie could have used a real chess consultant. Many of the moves shown on the chess board are illegal. Black moves first in the first game and, although they use chess terms like Sicilian Defense and Budapest Defense, the moves shown on the board are nothing like those openings.

However, we can overlook these defects because this movie teaches us chess players important lessons about how a movie about a high school chess match can be made exciting and interesting to the general non-chess playing audience.

Sam Sloan

Great movie.

[purple-sox-rox · 9/10 · 8 January 2011]

I really loved this movie. One of the best "feel-good" movies I've seen. Loved the cheesiness, and the synth-y music used. Also how it was in Canada! I liked how there were no overly dramatic emotional scenes. This made it feel like I was on vacation. It was relaxing, and very funny. Nicholas Wright was engaging and endearing, and I especially liked the British guy Trevor and his mute "best mate" Darryl. The only thing I disliked was Hyachinth - she seemed forced and character too good to be true. I wish more people knew about this movie. There's not even a Facebook fan page for it!

Anyway - watch it. :)

What a great little movie

[TD-11 · 10/10 · 29 April 2007]

I often see teen movies and they usually provide a chuckle. Some are so awful, that they are instant eject button. Sometimes they just force me to keep my finger on the fast forward button. Hatley High was an absolutely GREAT movie. There were many depths and subtleties underneath a movie that kept my undivided interest every step along the way and provided many laughs as well. The chemistry between all the characters is great and there are several interesting relationships that develop. I would recommend this movie to anyone who is young at heart wants to see a good movie with some chuckles along the way. I am so glad that I stumbled upon it.