An Education
3/4
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike
Rated PG-13 for Mature Thematic Material involving Sexual Content and Smoking
"An Education" is a formula story told so well that it doesn't seem like one. The acting and characterization is of the highest caliber, and the dialogue is well-written. But for all of that, director Lone Scherfig can't get the film to connect with us on an emotional level.
Jenny (Mulligan) is a bright young student in 1960's England who is almost too smart for her own good. Her father (Molina) has outlined her future at Oxford for her, but because she's a woman, her future is still grim. Walking home one day in the pouring rain, she meets a man named David (Sarsgaard) who offers her a lift. He's handsome, charming and intelligent, and they begin to date. But is he really who he says he is, and is she willing to give up her future to be with him?
The best thing about the film is the acting. Carey Mulligan is extraordinary. She's an intelligent girl, but lacks emotional maturity and self-motivation. She is going to school because it's expected of her, not because she wants to. To her, David represents an escape. She has brains, and she wants to expand her knowledge, but not by reading dry textbooks and listening to doddering old professors with the other nerds. She wants to have fun, and David allows her to do that. He and his friends love jazz, art and culture, and they explore it in a lively way. But there are some things about David and his friends that she notices and is struggling to turn a blind eye against. As played by Sarsgaard, who is usually given low key supporting roles, finally earns a leading role that allows him to actually act instead of play a version of himself. Flawless accent intact, he every girl's dream: smart, devoted and charming. Mulligan got a much deserved Oscar nomination for her performance, but Sarsgaard deserved one as well.
The supporting cast is good as well. Dominic Cooper is good as David's friend and conscience, Danny, and Rosamund Pike is very good as the ditzy Helen. Alfred Molina is funny as Jenny's dad, who is afraid of everything, and Olivia Williams is excellent in the small but important role as one of Helen's teachers.
The problem with the film is not how director Lone Scherfig tells the story; she's a director with extraordinary talent, but in how the film deals, or does not deal with the relationship between David and Jenny. Although it acknowledges that the relationship has sexual undertones, it doesn't attempt to fully deal with the age difference between them. The sixties may be more innocent than they are today in terms of how suspicious we are of everyone else, but no parent would be so easily swayed by a charmer twice the age of his daughter. Also, some scenes should have been expanded on, particularly at the end.
Don't get me wrong, this is a very good movie, and I nearly gave this film a 3.5. It is well worth seeing.
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike
Rated PG-13 for Mature Thematic Material involving Sexual Content and Smoking
"An Education" is a formula story told so well that it doesn't seem like one. The acting and characterization is of the highest caliber, and the dialogue is well-written. But for all of that, director Lone Scherfig can't get the film to connect with us on an emotional level.
Jenny (Mulligan) is a bright young student in 1960's England who is almost too smart for her own good. Her father (Molina) has outlined her future at Oxford for her, but because she's a woman, her future is still grim. Walking home one day in the pouring rain, she meets a man named David (Sarsgaard) who offers her a lift. He's handsome, charming and intelligent, and they begin to date. But is he really who he says he is, and is she willing to give up her future to be with him?
The best thing about the film is the acting. Carey Mulligan is extraordinary. She's an intelligent girl, but lacks emotional maturity and self-motivation. She is going to school because it's expected of her, not because she wants to. To her, David represents an escape. She has brains, and she wants to expand her knowledge, but not by reading dry textbooks and listening to doddering old professors with the other nerds. She wants to have fun, and David allows her to do that. He and his friends love jazz, art and culture, and they explore it in a lively way. But there are some things about David and his friends that she notices and is struggling to turn a blind eye against. As played by Sarsgaard, who is usually given low key supporting roles, finally earns a leading role that allows him to actually act instead of play a version of himself. Flawless accent intact, he every girl's dream: smart, devoted and charming. Mulligan got a much deserved Oscar nomination for her performance, but Sarsgaard deserved one as well.
The supporting cast is good as well. Dominic Cooper is good as David's friend and conscience, Danny, and Rosamund Pike is very good as the ditzy Helen. Alfred Molina is funny as Jenny's dad, who is afraid of everything, and Olivia Williams is excellent in the small but important role as one of Helen's teachers.
The problem with the film is not how director Lone Scherfig tells the story; she's a director with extraordinary talent, but in how the film deals, or does not deal with the relationship between David and Jenny. Although it acknowledges that the relationship has sexual undertones, it doesn't attempt to fully deal with the age difference between them. The sixties may be more innocent than they are today in terms of how suspicious we are of everyone else, but no parent would be so easily swayed by a charmer twice the age of his daughter. Also, some scenes should have been expanded on, particularly at the end.
Don't get me wrong, this is a very good movie, and I nearly gave this film a 3.5. It is well worth seeing.
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