Review: An Education (Theatrical)

I woke up this afternoon from a much needed nap to some obscure Olympics happening on the telly and lounged around for a bit before I ended up feeling stir crazy and needed to get out of my apartment. I tentatively and spontaneously ventured to what may be my new (old) favorite movie theater, Images, in Williamstown, where I caught the matinee (and thus cheaper!) showing of the Best Picture nominated "An Education." What a pleasant way to spend a restless afternoon!

The movie was a joy: charming, funny, romantic. Throughout the movie in my head I kept saying "Swinging 60s baby, yeah!" a la Austin Powers, which I know makes me super cool, and I'm just glad I didn't say it out loud. And since I'm a big fan of this era in history, I appreciated this coming of age story of a 16 year old schoolgirl (Jenny, played by Oscar nominated Carey Mulligan) who has bigger aspirations to be more than the simple English schoolgirl as the world and womanhood changes around her. She meets David, an older man who leads a life of jazz and nightclubs and gambling, and is taught the ways of life (both the good and the bad sides) by him, thus the film being titled "An Education." Makes sense right? Well there is also a lot more to the plot, and it goes from a cute romantic comedy to a heartbreaking drama in a matter of moments, but I'm not going to ruin the movie if you haven't seen it. It's one of those where when you finally see what's coming you get knots in your stomach. But unlike say, "A Single Man" where that knot in your stomach never gets resolved, this one does - but maybe not in the way you'd expect (or want.)

I can't quite place what genre the film falls in. It feels almost like a contemporary costume drama, mixed with a romantic comedy, with a twist of drama. Regardless, the movie wasn't perfect for me - it seemed to lack a reason for being made. Don't get me wrong, I liked it and enjoyed it and thought the performances were good - but I didn't come out of it being wowed. I thought, well that's a good story, but what was it's purpose? You get what I'm throwing at you? No? Well that's OK. I still recommend it, because I think it's a good film, maybe I just didn't "get" this one.

Carey Mulligan is a natural actress, and carries the entire film. It's her story and she drew me right in with her subtle acting. Peter Sarsgaard does a fine job as her love interest, David, and I continue to think he's one of today's most under-appreciated actors. I also think he has too many A's in his last name, and find it amusing he's married/dating/with Maggie Gyllenhaal and she also has one too many A's. Most amusing for me however was Alfred Molina as Jenny's uptight dad. This part could've been a cliche villain of the story, but not only did I find his off-color remarks hilarious, but he also had quite a bit of heart in the character, which was refreshing for a role like this.

I can knock off another Best Picture nominee from my list now. Though I really liked "An Education," I think this is one of those movies that if there wasn't 10 nominees, this one would not be nominated. But y'all should still see it anyhow. It's cute.

Patrick Approval Rating: 8/10

An Education @ imdb