Miss Stubbs: You seem to be old and wise.
Jenny: I feel old. But not very wise.
Special thanks to Krissy for the recommendation!
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Emma Thompson, Dominic Cooper, Olivia Williams, Alfred Molina, Rosamund Pike
An Education Promotional Poster
Summary: In the early 1960′s, sixteen year old Jenny Mellor lives with her parents in the London suburb of Twickenham. On her father’s wishes, everything that Jenny does is in the sole pursuit of being accepted into Oxford, as he wants her to have a better life than he. Jenny’s life changes after she meets David Goldman, a man over twice her age. David goes out of his way to show Jenny and her family that his interest in her is not improper and that he wants solely to expose her to cultural activities which she enjoys. Jenny quickly gets accustomed to the life to which David and his constant companions, Danny and Helen, have shown her, and Jenny and David’s relationship does move into becoming a romantic one. However, Jenny slowly learns more about David, and by association Danny and Helen, and specifically how they make their money. Jenny has to decide if what she learns about them and leading such a life is worth forgoing her plans of higher eduction at Oxford.
What I Liked (Spoilers): Carey Mulligan’s performance, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She was very genuine as Jenny, and I felt as if I connected to her every step of the way. She’s extremely talented, and I look forward to seeing any future performances. Graham (played by Matthew Beard) was also extremely adorable! I felt so bad for the poor boy as he watched David walk in and bring Jenny all those presents. He looked so crushed – what a cutie! Jenny’s parents (Emma Thompson and Alfred Molina) were also a great pair, especially Jenny’s father. I also thought that Rosamund Pke was convincing as the classy, but not-so-sophisticated bitch.
What I disliked (Spoilers): Never, throughout the whole film, was I attracted to either David or his friend. I think that Peter Sarsgaard is an attractive man, but I really didn’t understand why Jenny was so unbelievably in love with him. This made it harder for me to sympathize with Jenny and her love for this man. I thought that Dominic Cooper was a good actor, but his character just annoyed me. I also felt the “happy ending” was a little rushed, and not very believable. I find it hard to believe that Jenny was able to bounce back after dropping out of school and missing her exams, and still be accepted into Oxford. It would take a lot longer for this to happen in real life. I thought the ending was sweet, but it was a far-fetched to a certain extent. The worst moment was the whole “banana scene”; it’s hard to believe that a married and experienced man like David would be so stupid as to suggest something like that.
My favorite moment (Major Spoilers): It was heartbreaking to watch David drive away after Jenny told him to tell her parents that he was married. He had just revealed that he was living a double life, after she had given up any hopes of having a proper education and had thrown her life away for him. I wished for a moment that I was in the movie so that I could run him over with my own car. I didn’t really have any “favorite moments”, but I enjoyed the scenes where Jenny was with her parents, her friends, or with Graham. They were a nice comedic touch.
Lasting Impressions: I decided for the Oscars this year that I would try and watch all the movies that were nominated for Best Picture (which I succeeded in doing, with the exception of Avatar, which I’m not too disappointed about). Out of the movies that I was going to watch, I was anticipating that An Education would be dull and lengthy to watch. Instead, I absolutely loved it, and it was second favorite movie from the Best Picture nominees for this year after Inglorious Basterds. I definitely recommend this one!
Rating: 9/10
The way I see it, Jenny was extremely attracted to David because he is a calculating predictor, preying on her one major weakness – the need to be taken seriously, to be seen as a grown-up. As Jenny’s friend points out, she is not interested in “boys”, and he makes himself to be her ideal “man”. He lives the life she wants and goes places she is dying to visit.
This is a movie based on a memoir, so the girl in the story actually took a turn and made it into Oxford. I like this film overall, but I agree with what you said about the rushed ending, it probably made it a lot less believable. It seemed so easy for her. Also, the nitpicker in me was very bothered by the acceptance letter – you get accept to particular colleges in Oxford, not Oxford University! D:
I definitely see what you mean about Jenny’s need to be taken seriously and treated like an adult; I just felt like there was something “off” about David. This is probably because the actor was doing this deliberately.
I didn’t find out about the fact that it was based on a memoir until the Oscars last night – it sounds like an interesting read.
Glad you liked this movie! I really loved it.
I agree with you on the end; even though I knew it was based on a memoir, it’s just the way they went about filming it that made it seem … odd. Like just out of nowhere, this happily ever after happened. I suppose in real life it would have taken much more time, and that’s kind of hard to portray in a few seconds on screen, but I think it should have been given a little more thought – that was really the only weak part, in my mind.
I can’t believe I haven’t seen this movie yet. I was watching the Oscars and when they showed the trailer it inmediately called my attention. I just have a feeling that I’m going to love it =)
As much as I did enjoy this movie, especially Carey Mulligan’s performance, I agree with you about the end… it felt rushed and a little strange.