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source: An Education

Sorry but this barely makes it out of the gate as a feature film. It is the kind of coming-of-age drama we'd have seen on BBC TV as a play in the mid-70s or in the made-for-TV series 'First Love' around the same time. Schoolgirl is seduced by glamorous older man etc. Clichés of the 'I want to live' and 'England is so dull!' kind abound. Molina as the father is the best thing in it but even he has to struggle with some implausible lines. There is a very arch and occasionally condescending tone--for example smoking as a forbidden experience-- that becomes worse in the sex scenes. Staggering that anyone could have imagined it was worth making but no doubt the famous names attached helped.

As one comment has already mentioned - it's '....been done a gazillion times before'. What bugs me though, is that the writer has missed about as many opportunities to make this movie stand out. A young girl finds that a life of knicker-dropping is way more exciting than a life involving any kind of effort on her part. What else is new? Having chosen freebie hedonism, it eventually stops, or rather segues into something more mundane and down-to-earth - but nevertheless still free and very nearly effortless. Maybe the writer could have used some imagination to explore the inherent sexism of our society, where men are routinely exploited, and women would rather not have to exhibit any effort, creativity or responsibility, but rather have their lives handed to them on a silver platter by a man - any man will do - but preferably a rich, well-connected one. The world Hornby has created is one of a small, self-appointed male elite, eagerly sought out and preyed upon by scheming women (and girls), who are educated enough to know a good thing when they see it. (After all, Heather Mills coined £20,000 for every DAY she was married to Paul McCartney) Wouldn't it be nice to see the OTHER side of the coin on film for a change? To see the lives of men who aren't part of Hornby's cosy, self-satisfied, self-proclaimed deserving elite. To have issues of sexism properly examined - like the 'Glass Floor' for example, and the perma-victim culture which women still project today. No... Hollywood beckons for Mr.Hornby. He just has to stick to the script and soon enough, he'll be collecting a golden statue with a shiny bald pate. Err, the statue I meant, with the bald pate. (Or did I?) The film's rubbish, despite Carey Mulligan's dimples.

Am I really the only one who found this film completely racist? The moral of the story seems to be: "You know all those things that people say about Jewish people? Well, they're right. Jews are not to be trusted." I'm sure the filmmakers (and many viewers) will defend the film by saying it is historically accurate and based on a biography. But that shows an incredible naivety regarding how film works. Film amplifies and generalizes historical or biographical specificities. Were there unscrupulous and greedy Jewish landlords operating in London during this period? Of course (as there were dishonest gentile landlords as well), but to place this particular character at the center of this film and continually reinforce the connection between his Jewishness and his dishonesty is an exercise in cinematic racism. The juxtaposition between good, hardworking, honest, humble protestantism and overly ambitious, crass, duplicitous and hedonistic Jewishness seems to be the contrast that motivates the entire film and is in the end its only perceivable moral message. Be English, boring, middle-class and honest, not Jewish and greedy. That's "the education" that's served up here.

Its not that this film had no interest, or was poorly directed or acted. The problem was, in my mind, that the script lacked any real attempt at a realistic portrayal of real people. I don't think many, if any parents, would let their daughter run off like that, and even if they did, would a girl of such pronounced moral and intellectual pretenses be so easily seduced by such phonies. Even if all this rings true for some, when she decided to stay with them, after first deciding to flee, I left the theater. My feeling was why should I watch more of this garbage? It had been unreal up to that time, but at least her initial decision to leave seemed genuine, and sensible. then, all of a sudden, for no apparent reason, and without any sexual or other apparent reasons, she stays. Well fine, but so what> Do I need to watch her go off with some grifters and be "educated". If you have nothing better to do, which I guess is the case for many, continue with this type of education.

*** Major Spoilers *** "An Education" is an entertaining little film, well done in all respects and superbly acted. Some commentators here have complained about how implausible it was how the heroine, and her father, act in this film. I however think that this exactly is the point the film tries to make: -It shows that while being "smart" in school when getting good marks, you can still be "stupid" when it comes to relationships (Thinking that it is OK to be deflowered by a much older man you hardly know, as long as you are seventeen years old - so bizarre!). In school they may train you to get an "A" but the things that are really important in life, they don't teach you there. That has been true back then and it is still true today. -It shows that even people with a higher education can have completely absurd views. If a headmistress displays such revolting and primitive anti-Semitism as is shown in the film, it may be sad but not at all implausible. Look around you today: Being a scholar at an university sure doesn't prevent you from being an idiot. -It shows that while being concerned about his daughter's future, a loving father can still act stupid and make terrible mistakes. I thought Alfred Molina did a wonderful job in portraying this father, who seemed weak and - indeed - very stupid, but not at all implausible. For me the most important scene was when Jenny discovers that David is a thief and, outraged, starts to walk away, but is then convinced by David to stay. I'm sure she knows that it's wrong to stay and that there will be no happy ending if she stays, and still she can't help it because the alternative - leading a decent, but boring life - is unacceptable to her. The representation of the world she is living in as seen in the film made me absolutely believe in her dilemma: doing what is expected of her by teacher, headmistress and parents, and be unhappy, or being happy in the company of criminals. A horrible choice indeed, when you can see no third way beyond these two. And this is the reason why I found the ending of "An Education" the only weak point of the film and very disappointing: Miraculously, Jenny is finally admitted to Oxford, and suddenly the dull and boring life she detested earlier in the film, as seen in the arguments with her teacher and headmistress, is OK? WHY? The ending seemed far too moralizing, as if to say to the young viewers of the film: "Just stay in school, always conform to what society expects of you, even if it seems boring and useless (like wasting years of your wonderful youth in school), in the end it will all be fine!" The cheap feel-good-turn at the end, THAT was implausible. It would have been so much better if the film ended with Jenny NOT being admitted to Oxford, leaving the rest to the viewer's imagination.

In early 1960s England, a 16-year old schoolgirl becomes infatuated with a man nearly twice her age. The best thing about this handsomely made if unoriginal drama is the winning performance by Mulligan, a radiant young actress. American Sarsgaard seems an odd choice to play her British suitor, but he brings an appropriate creepiness to the role. Also notable are Molina, Williams, and Thompson. Although based on a memoir, it is hard to believe that the young lady's parents would be so gullible and idiotic as to let her go out of town for overnight stays with an older man they know nothing about. The screenplay is somewhat plodding, leading to a clichéd ending.