Spud 3: Learning to Fly

Spud 3: Learning to Fly

Directed by Johnny Barker

Produced by Rogue Star Films, Times Media Films

201489 min6.0 / 10

A comedic coming-of-age story set in 1990s South Africa that balances awkward adolescent humor with genuine warmth and the messy business of growing up.

As Spud Milton continues his awkward stagger through adolescence, he learns one of life's most important lessons: When dealing with women and cretins, nothing is ever quite as it seems. "I'm practically a man in most areas," writes Spud confidently on his sixteenth birthday. The year is 1992 and, in South Africa, radical change is in the air. The country may be on the bumpy road to an uncertain future, but Spud Milton is hoping for a smooth ride as he returns to boarding school as a senior. Instead, he discovers that his vindictive arch enemy is back to taunt him and that a garrulous Malawian has taken residence in his dormitory, along with the regular inmates and misfits he calls friends. Spud's world has never seemed less certain; he attempts to master Shakespeare, wrestles constantly with his God, and the power of negative thinking, and develops an aversion to fried fish after a shocking discovery about his grandmother, Wombat.

Questions people ask

  • Is Spud 3: Learning to Fly easy watching? Yes. More comforting than 77% of films.

  • Is Spud 3: Learning to Fly violent? Barely. Less violent than 76% of films.

  • Does Spud 3: Learning to Fly end with hope? Somewhat. More hopeful than 70% of films.

  • Is Spud 3: Learning to Fly scary? Not especially. Less frightening than 65% of films.

  • Is Spud 3: Learning to Fly sad? Not especially. Less sad than 59% of films.

These describe how the film comes across, measured across the whole film and compared with other well-known films. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked scene by scene, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.

24/ 100

Cinnamon Score

How much this film gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.

Conventional, and it does not land.

Rarity30

How unlike any other film this one feels

Surprise20

How much more it delivers than it promises

Love22

How much audiences actually like it

The highest scores in the catalogue →

Ensemble

Like Spud 3: Learning to Fly

Nearest across the full emotional profile.

Same Mood as Spud 3: Learning to Fly

Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.

Like Spud 3: Learning to Fly, But Darker

Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.

Like Spud 3: Learning to Fly, But Lighter

Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.

Like Spud 3: Learning to Fly, But Less Popular

Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.

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