Carey Mulligan and Peter Sarsgaard in An Education. Watch the preview: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/an-education/33272/main
The reviews have been good for this provocative but tame English coming-of-age film that takes place in 1961. The preview here gives you a good idea what to expect. Sixteen year-old Jenny (Carey Mulligan) wants to graduate the British equivalent of high school and attend Oxford as an English major. When she meets David, an older man (Peter Sarsgaard) who puts her cello into his car on a rainy day, her goals change. He's charming and knows how to talk his way in and out of any situation, including winning over her overprotective father (Alfred Molina) who objects to them dating since David is about thirty. Jenny is warned by her teachers about how this relationship could ruin her life and her chances for college, but she wants more out of life than what classrooms can provide.
>>David satisfies and stimulates her intellectual curiosity by taking her to concerts, night clubs, auctions, and museums. He introduces her to his hedonist friends who accompany them on excursions. Soon he's fulfilling her dream of seeing Paris and she plans to lose her virginity with him on her seventeenth birthday. Jenny decides that being part of David's glamorous lifestyle is more exciting than studying and accepts his engagement ring. Her father prefers this marriage to spending money for college since she's no longer interested in Oxford. Heeding good advice she quits school and plans to enjoy the rest of her life with David.
>>The idea of older men dating teenagers makes this sound like an episode in Roman Polanski's life but those circumstances are different from this thoughtful and intelligent film. We slowly see the real David, a wolf in sheep's clothing armed with a way with words aided by a non-threatening facade, before Jenny does and we wait for her reaction. We're supposed to finally dislike him after we see how so many have been conned by him but he's too slyly charming and seemingly nice enough not to hate once the truth about him is revealed and this is the problem we face as viewers as well as Jenny and her parents. In his defense, he's not evil but just weak in succumbing to his vices without caring about the damage he does to others. The film's title is exactly that, 'an education' for Jenny in learning about life and its cruel lessons. Will she be able to break away from David's influence and continue her education is for you to learn.
>>Good performances in a small disarming film make this worth seeing. Carey Mulligan will remind you of a young Audrey Hepburn and Peter Sarsgaard is convincing enough not to hate his character, a difficult role, as we should. The '61 English period details seem dead on and I liked the less famous music of that era used for the soundtrack. Even Mom liked this movie considering she's not a fan of English films with what she calls their 'weird' accents, slang, and humor. She got the point of the story and so will you.
>>David satisfies and stimulates her intellectual curiosity by taking her to concerts, night clubs, auctions, and museums. He introduces her to his hedonist friends who accompany them on excursions. Soon he's fulfilling her dream of seeing Paris and she plans to lose her virginity with him on her seventeenth birthday. Jenny decides that being part of David's glamorous lifestyle is more exciting than studying and accepts his engagement ring. Her father prefers this marriage to spending money for college since she's no longer interested in Oxford. Heeding good advice she quits school and plans to enjoy the rest of her life with David.
>>The idea of older men dating teenagers makes this sound like an episode in Roman Polanski's life but those circumstances are different from this thoughtful and intelligent film. We slowly see the real David, a wolf in sheep's clothing armed with a way with words aided by a non-threatening facade, before Jenny does and we wait for her reaction. We're supposed to finally dislike him after we see how so many have been conned by him but he's too slyly charming and seemingly nice enough not to hate once the truth about him is revealed and this is the problem we face as viewers as well as Jenny and her parents. In his defense, he's not evil but just weak in succumbing to his vices without caring about the damage he does to others. The film's title is exactly that, 'an education' for Jenny in learning about life and its cruel lessons. Will she be able to break away from David's influence and continue her education is for you to learn.
>>Good performances in a small disarming film make this worth seeing. Carey Mulligan will remind you of a young Audrey Hepburn and Peter Sarsgaard is convincing enough not to hate his character, a difficult role, as we should. The '61 English period details seem dead on and I liked the less famous music of that era used for the soundtrack. Even Mom liked this movie considering she's not a fan of English films with what she calls their 'weird' accents, slang, and humor. She got the point of the story and so will you.
No comments:
Post a Comment