An Education (B+ or 3/4 stars)
'An Education' (directed by Lone Scherfig) opens in 1961 London where 16 yr. old Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is intent on getting into Oxford University. Her father (Alfred Molina) constantly hounds her to focus, avoid distractions & work on her Latin. And yet, he's also concerned about how he'll pay for her Oxford education if she is, indeed, accepted. Smart & precocious, Jenny is content to study hard & rehearse the cello (for a school concert) until one fateful afternoon when a stranger pulls up next to her in his fancy car; to offer her (& her cello) a ride home in the rain. He is David (Peter Saarsgard), a man 16+ yrs. older than her. A charmer - if somewhat seductive - David finds subtle, sweet & all-too-knowing ways to win over her heart, as well as her parents! They must be concerned that their disarming teen would be dating such an older man. But David somehow impresses them, nevertheless.
Things seem to be going swell for a while - as Jenny is thrust into a whirlwind romance. Her drab lifestyle of school, studies, & cello is exchanged for night clubs, art galleries, concertos, bars, race tracks, careless weekend trips, & a vacation to Paris. Along the way, Jenny meets 2 of David's closest (& mysterious) friends, Danny & Helen (Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike). But everything starts to be a bit "much" for Jenny. And with the trifecta of David, Danny, & Helen seeming too good to be true, she begins to learn some shocking & distasteful things about them. With her life changed, her head & heart in different places, & her recognition of how limited a woman's choices are during this pre-female liberation period, will Jenny even get the chance to get her life back on track?
'An Education' is a likeable & recommendable movie. Scherfig's direction is classy, & assured. Nick Hornby's screenplay balances the funny with the serious. The film takes a perceptive look at the sexual politics of the time. There were very limited possibilities for females in early 1960's England. Girls were more naive back then. College was never a given. And most women were expected to graduate high school, marry, & start a family. Just like that. I loved the character of Jenny. Like most optimistic, impressionable girls, she loves music, art, books, & films; using them as a template for the kind of woman she wants to be ... "when she grows up". But through David, she learns hard truths the hard way, & quicker than most girls. Thanks to David (and to a lesser extent, Danny & Helen), Jenny learns that one's identity does not always match the glamorous lifestyle they lead. And it's almost too late before she realizes that she could fall into that trap.
Carey Mulligan does a beautiful job modulating Jenny's emotions. Like her, we all wished to know the ways of the world at an early start. And we were also naive enough to let things fall out of control, a bit. Mulligan is sweet, endearing, & a wonder to behold; carrying the weight of the film on her small, but lovely shoulders. Peter Saarsgard (inflecting a stellar British accent) is very good as the love-struck predator with muddled intentions. I never quite knew what he was up to; which makes the revelations about him all the more potent. Alfred Molina gets to chew some scenery. But he also impresses in a soliloquy near the end. Olivia Williams struck a chord with me as Jenny's protective English teacher. Emma Thompson (headmistress of Jenny's school) gets 2 quick scenes to impart some bitter truths unto Jenny. Sally Hawkins (a hit with last yrs. Happy-Go-Lucky) gives a memorable & dramatic cameo. Rosamund Pike offers some astute comic relief. And Dominic Cooper quite impressed me as a charming, but vacuous, overly sensual creep who aids David in ensnarling Jenny into their web.
I can't seem to get around a few things, however. I still can't believe that 2 upstanding, middle-class parents would initially allow their 16 yr. old daughter to 'openly' (known to friends, teachers, & the like) date a man nearly twice her age. I don't care how persuasive David was, or what country they're from, or from what time era. I found it slightly implausible. And since it's the foundation for this plot to exist ... it just felt a little contrived. Another botherance - this is a morally ambiguous film about tortured romance, large implications, & missed opportunities. And I felt that a little too much restraint was used; particularly after the climax. This film is based on a true story, and apparently, the real Jenny Miller (actually Lynn Barber) had it much rougher than the film leads you to believe. Why didn't we see that story? Still, 'An Education' is a handsome looking, superbly acted film about a beguiling girl who becomes a victim - but learns from it.
Things seem to be going swell for a while - as Jenny is thrust into a whirlwind romance. Her drab lifestyle of school, studies, & cello is exchanged for night clubs, art galleries, concertos, bars, race tracks, careless weekend trips, & a vacation to Paris. Along the way, Jenny meets 2 of David's closest (& mysterious) friends, Danny & Helen (Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike). But everything starts to be a bit "much" for Jenny. And with the trifecta of David, Danny, & Helen seeming too good to be true, she begins to learn some shocking & distasteful things about them. With her life changed, her head & heart in different places, & her recognition of how limited a woman's choices are during this pre-female liberation period, will Jenny even get the chance to get her life back on track?
'An Education' is a likeable & recommendable movie. Scherfig's direction is classy, & assured. Nick Hornby's screenplay balances the funny with the serious. The film takes a perceptive look at the sexual politics of the time. There were very limited possibilities for females in early 1960's England. Girls were more naive back then. College was never a given. And most women were expected to graduate high school, marry, & start a family. Just like that. I loved the character of Jenny. Like most optimistic, impressionable girls, she loves music, art, books, & films; using them as a template for the kind of woman she wants to be ... "when she grows up". But through David, she learns hard truths the hard way, & quicker than most girls. Thanks to David (and to a lesser extent, Danny & Helen), Jenny learns that one's identity does not always match the glamorous lifestyle they lead. And it's almost too late before she realizes that she could fall into that trap.
Carey Mulligan does a beautiful job modulating Jenny's emotions. Like her, we all wished to know the ways of the world at an early start. And we were also naive enough to let things fall out of control, a bit. Mulligan is sweet, endearing, & a wonder to behold; carrying the weight of the film on her small, but lovely shoulders. Peter Saarsgard (inflecting a stellar British accent) is very good as the love-struck predator with muddled intentions. I never quite knew what he was up to; which makes the revelations about him all the more potent. Alfred Molina gets to chew some scenery. But he also impresses in a soliloquy near the end. Olivia Williams struck a chord with me as Jenny's protective English teacher. Emma Thompson (headmistress of Jenny's school) gets 2 quick scenes to impart some bitter truths unto Jenny. Sally Hawkins (a hit with last yrs. Happy-Go-Lucky) gives a memorable & dramatic cameo. Rosamund Pike offers some astute comic relief. And Dominic Cooper quite impressed me as a charming, but vacuous, overly sensual creep who aids David in ensnarling Jenny into their web.
I can't seem to get around a few things, however. I still can't believe that 2 upstanding, middle-class parents would initially allow their 16 yr. old daughter to 'openly' (known to friends, teachers, & the like) date a man nearly twice her age. I don't care how persuasive David was, or what country they're from, or from what time era. I found it slightly implausible. And since it's the foundation for this plot to exist ... it just felt a little contrived. Another botherance - this is a morally ambiguous film about tortured romance, large implications, & missed opportunities. And I felt that a little too much restraint was used; particularly after the climax. This film is based on a true story, and apparently, the real Jenny Miller (actually Lynn Barber) had it much rougher than the film leads you to believe. Why didn't we see that story? Still, 'An Education' is a handsome looking, superbly acted film about a beguiling girl who becomes a victim - but learns from it.