An Education - B+

On DVD and Blu-ray this week. Lawyer's similar take is here.

In 1961 London, Jenny (the sublime Carey Mulligan) is on the fast-track to Oxford if she can get her Latin together. She's the best student at an all girls' school and her father (Alfred Molina) has been priming her for an excellent education from day 1. At night, Jenny listens to French records and longs to live life rather than read about others doing so. She meets David, an older man (an appropriately slimy Peter Sarsgaard), who smooth talks his way into her family's life and then shows her the world. But Jenny discovers that there are no short-cuts in life and while hard work can be boring, it eventually pays off.

I'm not sure why Jenny was standing out in the rain with her cello when all she had to do is walk a couple of blocks. She never would have met David and I guess there would have been no movie. I also didn't buy her father suddenly being so permissive and gullible when his whole life is built on order, planning, and caution. For her part, Mulligan completely sells Jenny's desire to experience life so you can understand her decisions. Mulligan also excels with the innocent laughter and the tearful regrets. David is nearly the exact opposite of me so the scenes with him are tough to watch. The setting was nicely put together with the music and costumes. The supporting performances by Emma Thompson, Sally Hawkins, and especially Olivia Williams felt honest and real. I loved every scene with Williams and wish she had been in it more. Director Lone Scherfig pulls the final few scenes together perfectly. B+This should have been a red flag, Jenny.