Cartoonist Ronald Searle's most famous creation - the chaotic girls' boarding school that gave rise to the series of hit films in the 1950s and 60s - makes a surprisingly successful comeback in this amusing revamp. Directors Oliver Parker and Barnaby Thompson have updated the school for modern audiences, blending the traditions of dorms and jolly hockey sticks with more contemporary youth culture. Talulah Riley heads the young cast as Annabelle, the new girl who overcomes introductory torment to lead the St Trinian's girls on a mission to save the establishment from closure. Rupert Everett plays both her father and, like Alastair Sim in the original movies, the dotty headmistress, Miss Fritton. Meanwhile Russell Brand takes on the George Cole role as Flash Harry and there's support from Colin Firth as the minister of education. The sketch-like comedy works better than the overall story, but it's still lively fun for teenagers.

When their beloved school is threatened with closure should the powers that be fail to raise the proper funds, the girls scheme to steal a priceless painting and use the profits to pull St. Trinian's out of the red.