An Education Reviews and Ratings


  • ozq
    December 4, 2009
    ozq
    Was a little anti-climax for me when all was revealed, because the mystery had been built up really well. Overall a pretty interesting film, with fine acting from the cast.
  • kellirmarshall
    December 3, 2009
    kellirmarshall
    I don't usually use the word LOVELY to describe anything, but it fits here: AN EDUCATION is a lovely little film.
  • FangsFirst
    December 2, 2009
    FangsFirst
    I had two free passes to the local arthouse styled theatre that were running out Monday, so I decided to go see whatever the heck was showing. One film was House of the Devil, a throwback horror film that I truly loved, the other was a film that I thought sounded like the ...( read more)kind I might pick up on a whim (lo, it was released by Sony Pictures Classics, an arm of Sony I trust pretty blindly to do right by me)--this one. I knew the essence of the plot, but tried to keep my readings vague, so as to avoid spoiling any of it, this being my preference when I see any film. I knew only the name Peter Sarsgaard of the primary cast and had never heard of Danish director Lone Scherfig.

    Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is a 16 year old prep school student in 1961 Twickenham, London who plans to go to Oxford and then "become French," living in France, reading French literature, speaking French, eating French food, and smoking constantly. Her father Jack (Alfred Molina) discourages her from doing anything that does not further her education (barring those things which are appreciated by acceptance boards at Oxford), even things like playing her cello, which he notes will impress Oxford as a "hobby," but then continues need not be practiced as it is a "hobby." Her mother Majorie (Cara Seymour) tries to smooth things between them as Jenny tests her father's "rules," attempting to reason him into allowing her some ideas. Jenny has a fledgling romance with orchestra-mate Graham (Matthew Beard) until the poor boy makes the mistake of suggesting he might take a year off from school, which does not earn the respect of Jack. One rainy day after orchestra rehearsal, Jenny is approached from a car by a man who offers to at least shield her cello from the rain as she walks home by placing it in his car. Jenny's amused by the man's charm, and he introduces himself as David (Sarsgaard) and strikes up a conversation, eventually getting herself out of the rain alongside her cello in David's sportscar. Slowly taken with him and running into him periodically, Jenny begins to accept offers from David when he gives her the opportunity to experience the culture she so loves and admires--concerts, jazz bars, art auctions and so on. He introduces her to his friends Danny (Dominic Cooper) and Helen (Rosamund Pike), and begins to take her further and further out into the world, all the while slowly romancing her. His charm works even on Jack and Majorie, allowing this to happen with their consent. A trip to Oxford pushes at Jenny's principles, but she finds herself torn between a small moral capitulation and the chance to have a "real life."

    Of course, once I saw the cast appear onscreen, I realized instantly that there was another name here I knew very well: Alfred Molina. In fact, this knowledge was humourous to me as I watched Jim Jarmusch's Coffee and Cigarettes and the segment with Molina and Steve Coogan showed, where the joke was how unknown Molina was--when the opposite was true for me. Of course, I also know the screenwriter, Nick Hornby, albeit primarily from the Americanized film version of High Fidelity. Still these were primarily passing knowledge, especially Hornsby and Sarsgaard. The synposis I read led me to expect something far more drastic was hiding behind these scenes than actually turned out, so I was surprised in this respect, and it probably helped to keep my understanding of the film "in line" with its intentions. It's worth noting here that it is an adaptation of journalist Lynn Barber's actual experiences, and that this often shores up some seemingly unusual choices.

    The most interesting role by far is that of David, as Sarsgaard is forced, as many have put it, to walk the line between charming and creepy. He is charming and does not come across as purely sleazy, despite being a 30-something man romancing a 16 year old girl, though I did spend half the movie with fingertips placed at my forehead in a sort of preliminary (or perhaps vestigial?) representation of the desire to hide the film from my eyes. I was hideously uncomfortable for a lot of it. I was perhaps too charmed by David myself, but could not shake the feeling that something was very, very wrong anyway. I'm a little more open-minded than most, I suppose, as I roll my eyes at those who called American Beauty a sick film about a pedophile, but I had great difficulty stopping myself from slumping down further and further into my seat and squirming at many moments (the scene involving pet names was particularly excruciating). I can't say it was a flaw, but it was a bit of a problem. I suppose I was really directed very perfectly into the place of Jenny herself, torn between the allure of an exciting life and the responsibility of the one that is hard and boring but theoretically the "best" choice. At the same time, there was a definite feeling that it was entirely too easy to see how she was deceived, and yet wish she wouldn't be. Jenny is not stupid, she is very clever in her interactions with everyone, but she's so thoroughly charmed by David that she's easily taken in by him, but especially because he brings her all the things she wants.

    The central concept is the variable defintion of "education," being either the worldly education offered by David or that of Oxford, with various tangential definitions, such as learning about life via the parts of David that were not showing originally. It's a valid argument that Jenny gives her Headmistress--that there is no one telling the students why, exactly, they must get an education--except to go on and use that dull, hard, boring education to live a dull, hard, boring life. It makes the choice of David seem obvious, yet, at the same time, we know (hopefully!) is not so simple as all of that. There's no good argument (at least none I've heard) against Jenny's, but at the same time there's an understanding, for me at least, that other paths are more difficult or simply aren't as good as they seem to be. It's nice that the film doesn't attempt to truly explain or answer this question, even if it does show Lynn Barber's actual decisions and life at the end, what she chooses to pursue and follow for her life. She admits that she has aged but not become experienced or wise because of the events she takes part in, which seems a good way of putting it.
  • ViktorExhumed
    November 30, 2009
    ViktorExhumed
    It works out well and up to a point, originaly, some aspects of human relations, but then it leaves others undeveloped. I wanted more story centered on loosing one's life over meeting the "phantom" social guideline that a formal education is. But it is there and not there, the ro...( read more)mance takes over. Plus, I hated the perfect ending, too moralizing "stay in school" kind of stuff, the cliche damages the film a lot.
  • threefolddado
    November 29, 2009
    threefolddado
    A film every teenage girl should see, although I also highly recommend it to everyone else. Well acted (just look at that cast), well scripted (witty and entertaining throughout) and well directed. What more could you ask for?
  • ElDuderinoLebowski
    November 28, 2009
    ElDuderinoLebowski
    Aside from it's overly tidy conclusion, this is great for those interested in a romance which actually contains a great deal of substance. Despite it's taboo storyline, it manages to keep that possibility of awkwardness out of the way, thanks to the performances of Mulligan and S...( read more)arsgaard.
  • loverlybird
    November 23, 2009
    loverlybird
    After seeing this movie, I'm truly wondering why it was made. Sure, Alfred Molina is great, but that's about the only thing that is enjoyable about it. The story is predictable from the first minute, and I spent the entire thing in agony because of the characters unlikely poor ju...( read more)dgement.
  • muttonman21
    November 22, 2009
    muttonman21
    Will type words later...
  • robinmich
    November 22, 2009
    robinmich
    Quite superb; I kept finding myself smiling at this really likable film. Carey Mulligan was quite brilliant and if she does become a great actress then something is wrong with the media.
  • jschartrand
    November 20, 2009
    jschartrand
    I don't quite understand the hype around this movie. Yes it's fine, yes the direction is, in a way, competent, the interpretations are good (Molina shines as always and Carey Mulligan is promising), Sarsgaard is not specially interesting, but gosh, what's new in this? It,s so.. S...( read more)oft and, like she would say in my position *déjà vu*.
  • 3LB
    November 16, 2009
    3LB
    carey mulligan's performance is as good as advertised. she's definitely getting a best actress nomination.
  • sarahgoode
    November 16, 2009
    sarahgoode
    Based on Lynn Barber's memoir, the movie tells a coming-of-age story of a teen girl, Jenny, living in the suburbs of London in the 1960s. As a smart, intelligent girl she seems to have a bright future ahead of her, but her life changes after meeting an older playboy who is nearl...( read more)y twice her age.

    This is certainly a talent-driven drama and both Peter Sarsgaard and newbie Carey Mulligan deliver fabulous performances. I think this film will certainly help launch Mulligan's acting career (especially if it lands her an Oscar-nom). She was perfectly cast as young Jenny, a girl exploring her own desires and learning who she is. "Mulligan is the film's headline, pulse and revelation," wrote TIME Magazine's Richard Corliss. "In its blithely subversive way, her starmaking performing is a co-conspirator with the movie. Both of them win you over with smart talk and pretty feelings, then kick you in the heart."

    The film currently has an impressive 93% on Rotten Tomato and has received rave reviews. In fact, Oscar buzz is already circulating. Caludia Pulg of USA Today called the story "fresh and thoroughly captivating," while LA Time's Kenneth Turan said it was "invariably funny and inexpressibly moving." Overall, this was a great story that examined women's roles in the world of the 1960s. I thought the ending could have been slightly stronger, but this is a minor complaint. Don't miss this one
  • 00Film
    November 14, 2009
    00Film
    i was defs very reluctant going in2 this film.....but it was a VERY plesant surprise....carey mulligan was such a breathe of fresh air....great story and great per4mnce
  • JediAlex
    November 14, 2009
    JediAlex
    Looks like it could be good...
  • Nenebelle
    November 14, 2009
    Nenebelle
    Recommended by scottydgibbs.
  • lynnew212
    November 11, 2009
    lynnew212
    Faithful to its source text it is a lovingly crafted film with charm and excellent period detail.
  • analogrombus
    November 10, 2009
    analogrombus
    Amazing. Well acted, well written. You really should see this movie. If you can stand the accents.
  • scottydgibbs
    November 10, 2009
    scottydgibbs
    carey mulligan is exellent as the oxford hopefull,getting charmed by a older man played by peter sarsgaard, still in school she hastodecide if the relationship, is needed,with oxford so close, butwith himshowing herthebest time of her life,andher parents liking him, he could be t...( read more)he one,a charming 60s set london drama,and showing what it was like forwomen in those days, career or housewife
  • michaelcorleone
    November 7, 2009
    michaelcorleone
    This is not an exceedingly inventive or groundbreaking film, but it has a special tenderness to it that I found irresistible. Carey Mulligan is a brilliant lead, playing effectively on a range of emotions and proving herself to be a highly charismatic actor. Although the movie st...( read more)arts off as a slightly clunky comedy of manners, it evolves into a genuinely moving and morally intricate drama. It isn't forceful or insincere. It's a smartly written, well-acted and thoroughly entertaining piece that deserves mention as one of 2009's best releases.
  • smith44
    November 3, 2009
    smith44
    Carey Mulligan is a Sensation, this girl is the real dead, totally encompassing her role, creating a vividly luicd character. A lock for a nomination, perhaps even a winner. All told An Education is an excellent film, beautiful to watch, with great poigancy in its social commenta...( read more)ry and ulimate ending.
  • rickyperuz
    November 2, 2009
    rickyperuz
    Un film che procede con una storia piuttosto classica e senza grandi colpi di scena, ma che ha il privilegio di darci uno sguardo quasi documentaristico sulla grigia e triste Londra nell'imminenza della rivoluzione culturale e dei costumi degli anni '60. Interessante!
  • Dracula787
    October 31, 2009
    Dracula787
    Early in this decade a movie came out called High Fidelity, which got very strong reviews but was avoided by myself for a very long time. The idea of a romantic film starring John Cusack did not appeal to me, but eventually I did see it and was surprised to find it was a very we...( read more)ll thought out story made more endearing by the fact that it uses a music fanatic as its main protagonist. This film was based on a novel by a man named Nick Hornby, and while the way that Stephen Frears and his team of writers adapted the film certainly had a lot to do with its success, I?d be willing to bet that the heart of what that made the film special was in the pages of Hornby?s book. Ever since that production Hornby has been a pretty hot commodity in Hollywood, adaptations of his work include About a Boy and Fever Pitch (which was made into an English version about soccer and an American version about baseball). But now the tables are turned, and now Nick Hornby has become a screenwriter adapting someone else?s work, in this case a memoir of a British journalist named Lynn Barber about her coming of age.

    The film is set in suburban London circa 1961 and focuses on a sixteen year old girl named Jenny (Carey Mulligan) who is both beautiful and the smartest girl in her class. Her parents (Alfred Molina and Cara Seymour) have her on a strict regimen that will hopefully result in her being accepted to Oxford. One part of this regimen is that she?s taken up the cello, and this leads to a chance encounter after a band rehearsal with a man in his thirties named David (Peter Sarsgaard) who offers her a ride home. After this encounter David begins to romance Jenny and invites her on extravagant outings with his friends Danny (Dominic Cooper) and Helen (Rosamund Pike). Jenny?s teacher (Olivia Williams) and headmistress (Emma Thompson) become concerned with this affair and warn that it will threaten her future education, but a life with David is beginning to seem like just as viable a future to Jenny as Oxford, after all he?s able to bring her into high society without having to waste time with a bunch of petty students for three years.

    Perhaps the thing this film will be most remembered for is that it introduced the world to Carey Mulligan. Mulligan has heretofore mostly accumulated credits for small parts on English television and is probably most noted for a small role alongside Keira Knightley in the Joe Wright adaptation of Pride & Prejudice. Her work here has been championed as a breakthrough and I will not disagree, she has real star potential. For this role Mulligan must be a teenager who thinks she?s wiser than she really is and has an energy that makes her standout amongst her peers. In this sense the role is not unlike the title role in the 2007 film Juno, albeit in a completely different time and place and without the Diablo Cody-isms. Like Page before her she is able to walk that line between appearing naïve while outwardly trying to exude sophistication and spunk.

    She is however just one part of a very strong ensemble. Peter Sarsgaard has the difficult task of making the audience forget that he is a thirty-something creep trying to sleep with a teenager so as to show why said teenager would fall for him. He needs to be charming and pleasant, while also having a bit of that dark side beneath the surface. Alfred Molina is also going to get a lot of attention for his work here, and this is well deserved. His character is pretty funny in his often silly values, and this could have played pretty fake if the actor wasn?t up to the task. Molina makes the father character seem like a real person, even when he?s places the value of knowing a famous author above being a famous author. Actors in smaller roles like Cooper, Pike, Williams, and Thompson also nicely fill out the cast.

    Like Mulligan, director Lone Scherfig has emerged from obscurity as an important talent out of this project. I?ll bring up Juno again as a point of comparison, because like Jason Reitman she seems able to give an ambitious directorial edge to her work without suffocating the material with overwhelming style. She?s able to emphasize the glamour of Jenny and David?s outings in a way that makes it seem as intoxicating to the viewer as it does to Jenny in a way that is essential to the believability of the story. Of course this would all be wasted were it not for the solid script by Nick Hornby who further proves that he has a knack for creating endearing and likable characters while giving them really clever, but not overly stylized dialogue.

    As I?ve established, there was a lot of talent put behind this and it shows up onscreen, but I ultimately couldn?t help but feel a bit underwhelmed by the end result. I can?t help but think that Lynn Barber?s story was perhaps not worthy of all this talent. It?s clear from the beginning that this relationship is heading for disaster and that Jenny is walking into a trap, so this isn?t really much of a romance. And while there are some good giggles throughout I wouldn?t really recommend it simply as a comedy, so how is this going to stand on its own merely as a story? This is where the house of cards falls down, because as a story this is actually a pretty simplistic work preaching the moral that younglings shouldn?t try to grow up too fast, they should stay in school, and not try to take shortcuts. Sound familiar? Yeah, it?s basically the best written, best acted, and best crafted afterschool special ever made. This shortcoming is made worse by a twist towards the end which prevents the character from learning something for herself and instead has the truth thrust upon her.

    If ever there has been a movie that more toughly challenges Roger Ebert?s adage that ?it?s not what a movie is about, but how it?s about it that matters? in my mind. The ?what? that this movie is about is rather boring to me, but the ?how? it?s about it is very strong. Ultimately, I?m going to have to split the difference and recommend that people see this movie in order to enjoy it in the moment, enjoy the acting, enjoy the script, enjoy the filmmaking, but the whole affair is more shallow than it first appears and it avoids a lot of the tougher questions involved in favor of light-handed moralizing.
  • her69eyes
    October 31, 2009
    her69eyes
    When Carey Mulligan flips up her hair and goes out for a night on the town in "An Education", it's hard to not think of Audrey Hepburn. That praise has been sung by many of the world's top critics and cinephiles alike - potentially deadly hype for such a young actress, indeed. Bu...( read more)t Mulligan, only 22 when the film was shot, is fully deserving of her accolades. Last seen as glorified backdrop in "Pride & Prejudice" and "Public Enemies", Mulligan, with "An Education", bursts onto the scene with a performance that'll ensure her a long career to go along with a surefire Oscar nomination.

    Mulligan plays a 16-year-old English girl, Jenny, in director Lone Scherfig's highly celebrated new film. Like Wendy Hiller in 1945, she knows where she's going - her future, fully designed by her parents (Alfred Molina & Cara Seymour), entails attending Oxford University once she graduates private school. But that was before the maroon Bristol pulled up alongside her on one rainy afternoon.

    The driver is David (Peter Sarsgaard), a handsome middle-aged man with an abundance of charisma. Although twenty years her elder, he soon wins her trust - she's swept away by his confidence, his riches, his lack of restraint. David is so thoroughly likable, in fact, that he is able to talk Jenny's parents into allowing the two to go on a few holidays together. But, as things progress, Jenny begins to catch glimpses of the predatory side behind David's charming facade.

    As much praise as Mulligan has garnered, her performance wouldn't be nearly as effective without Peter Sarsgaard's support. Both performers have challenging parts, changing drastically throughout the picture, but yet both actors seem to have perfect control over where their relationship is at any given moment. Jenny and David are both full of contradictions - Jenny naive and wise, David delicate and reptilian, and yet neither character seems overwrought or contrived.

    Adapted by Nick Hornby from a short memoir by British journalist Lynn Barber, "An Education" is a pitch-perfect coming-of-age story. The wry humor in the dialogue and the exquisite camerawork contribute to a film that simply bursts at the seams with life. By the end of the film, I felt that Scherfig probably could've taken a few more risks with the material, but most can be forgiven in a film as delectable as this.
  • danieljparsons
    October 29, 2009
    danieljparsons
    I want to see this so badly, but none of my alleged "real" friends seem interested :(
  • hobster1
    October 29, 2009
    hobster1
    Coming-of-age drama set in 1961, when a British teen is swept off her feet by a sophisticated older man. The first half of the film is a charming as it celebrates art and culture through the eyes of a young girl who is experiencing it for the first time. Newcomer Carey Mulligan...( read more) who plays our heroine, Jenny, has a sweet innocence that recalls Audrey Hepburn at times. Raises some interesting questions about the value of education, before it culminates in a moralizing finale.
  • blackeyedsurfer
    October 23, 2009
    blackeyedsurfer
    A gorgeous, subtle little film with a deceptively simple story, but with great ambition and ideas about growing up, first love, deception, and loss of innocence. Post-war, pre-Swinging-60's England is captured beautifully by Danish director Lone Scherfig, and she manages to get g...( read more)reat performances from her cast. That's no biggie for the always perfect Peter Sarsgaard, but the real revelation here is newcomer Carey Mulligan as young Jenny. I'll be shocked if I don't hear her name called out on that cold January morning when they announce the Oscar nominees.
  • lovedjay
    October 22, 2009
    lovedjay
    If it feels slightly exaggerated, its only to illuminate its ideas. You don't feel uncomfortable about the relationship until it turns sour. And that it never exploits the situation to the point of uncomfort lends itself to the fact that there is romance at its heart. Its a feeli...( read more)ng that extends throughout the movie, and makes it better for it. It's definatly a lesson worth indulging in.
  • roserrj
    October 19, 2009
    roserrj
    nice movie that teens should learn to watch and understand the real meaning of this film try to find out
  • stevewyllie1
    October 11, 2009
    stevewyllie1
    this is a great little film of which i will be recommending to all.

    see you don't have to be a big summer blockbuster,this quaint little story although starring an array of great talent is still a fairly small project and hopefully will be successful.
  • kvb2611
    October 9, 2009
    kvb2611
    Add a review (optional)...
  • fatdadslim
    October 8, 2009
    fatdadslim
    an interesting movie about a school girl her cello and an older man.a father that dislikes jews.the father/daughter roles were great.woth seeing
  • leggyaussie
    October 6, 2009
    leggyaussie
    I thought it was a good movie. The girl didn't let the relationship effect her life
  • sariath24
    October 6, 2009
    sariath24
    It can be very interesting
  • melvinia1
    October 6, 2009
    melvinia1
    nice movie.........watch it......
  • didy032000
    October 6, 2009
    didy032000
    salut mon'ami je tisse relation avec toi .je suis un artites comedein nomme Yougbare Prosper,je sui burkinabe .email associationwanogo@yahoo.fr
  • jhia9nabadj
    October 6, 2009
    jhia9nabadj
    i love it... sounds interesting and full of strong emotions... kakadala..ha!
  • rashidgujjar2
    October 5, 2009
    rashidgujjar2
    gosh,great thing to watch
  • nickd53
    September 29, 2009
    nickd53
    A smashing acting debut, a perfect cast, a literate and wonderful script (Nick Hornsby!!) and an all around terrific little movie set at the cusp of the swinging 60s in London (with a dream of Paris thrown in for good measure). Gotta see this one folks if you expect to enjoy the ...( read more)Oscars.
  • kemo5785
    September 15, 2009
    kemo5785
    Life is a very BIG Lesson..
    we should learn,,
    or be dump 4 the rest of our lives...
  • babubhaut
    September 14, 2009
    babubhaut
    click for review
  • allefra25
    February 23, 2009
    allefra25
    Nick Hornby? Yes, please!

Summary

An Education Summary