We made it, the top 5 films nominated for best picture! Seeing how this year was the first year the Academy expanded to ten nominees for best picture, you could say the remaining five films are my personal nominations for best picture in the traditional format. I have so much influence! (haha) Anyway, I really enjoyed An Education. It’s a bittersweet, but ultimately pleasant coming of age story about a young girl in London in the early 1960’s who is courted by a much older man who seems to have the world on a string. It is well done, subtle, and, premise aside, actually quite sweet.
The story is well crafted. One major mental leap aside, every beat and scene makes complete sense and the story is engaging and has a nice, steady flow to it. The introduction provides all the necessary exposition in a palatable way and the filmmakers do a good job of getting to the story quickly without making it seemed rushed. In hindsight, the major turning points seem a little obvious, but as the film progresses, each one does surprise, which I think is due to incredible acting.
I’ll attempt not to gush too much, but the acting in this film was very good. Carey Mulligan is fantastic and every bit deserving of her Oscar nomination. Her performance is understated, yet she has a presence every time she is on screen. Further, she manages to portray a sweet, well-meaning girl with her quirky, pleasant smile, while also displaying her inner wild side through mischievous eyes. Notice I mentioned no words. Much of the time, she simply didn’t need them. Next to her, Peter Sarsgaard was tremendous at his part. He probably had the most challenging role in the film and he pulls it off magnificently. His character is basically a pedophile- he takes an interest in a 16-year-old girl. Yet, he is so innocent and well intentioned in his manner that he comes across as a genuine nice guy so much so that we, the audience, actually kind of want it all to work out between he and his much younger counterpart. Without these two stunning performances, I’m not sure that this film works.The film also has a distinct indie style and direction. It was well directed and more imaginative in its direction than the standard blockbuster. We don’t see the camera cutting back and forth to whoever’s talking too much and there is a distinct effort to frame shots in a creative, out of the box way. In general, the direction effectively tells the story and adds another level of enjoyment. Some of the more ambitious shots, though, do not work as well as simpler shots.
Earlier I mentioned a major leap in the story, well, it was definitely a big one. Our heroine, Jenny, has an overbearing, strict father who seemingly trusts Jenny with absolutely no freedom, even when it comes to dating the most harmless, bumbling boy. However, when the much older man (Sarsgaard’s character, David) comes knocking to woo Jenny, he is instantly charmed and caves to any request David makes. Now, David is supposed to have this sort of touch on people, as evidenced by his line of work. However, I find it hard to believe that someone presented as such a strong character could so easily do a complete 180.
Ultimately, I know why the filmmakers made the leap. They had to tell their story and this was the way to get to it quickly. They pull so few other shenanigans that I’m okay with it. However, what ultimately keeps An Education towards the middle of the pack is that the film is just too easy. Without spoiling the ending for you, I’ll just say that the way the film is resolved takes some of the purpose out of the journey. When I watch the film, I walk away with the sense that the “education” that Jenny receives is that the world is a harsh place full of people doing what they gotta do as a means trying to reach a desired end. That being said, I believe the film resolves itself appropriately along those lines. Jenny does learn this lesson from her experiences. However, the stakes suffer as a result of the ending and it tiptoes the line of reality. I’ll leave it at this: if a lesson is learned due to the consequences of one’s actions, then I’ll say there must have been no lesson learned here.
Overall, I think this was a very pleasant and enjoyable film. It is easy to watch and the acting is fantastic! It is well written and well directed and a nice little story. While it lacks some of the higher stakes of the films ranked ahead of it, it is definitely worth seeing.
Scale:
1- Lots of Better Movies at Blockbuster
2- Might Be Worth Renting
3- Rent It When You Get to It
4- A Must Rent, at some point
5- Put It in Your Queue NOW!
My Rating: 4
Buy An Education
We just saw this movie based on your recommendations. This was a film I never would have given a second thought to, but you piqued my curiosity. I think your review is pretty dead on and agree that the blessing Jenny's father seems to bestow on David is unrealistic and it does detract from the movie. If Jenny were cast as perhaps at 18 vs 16 years of age, it might have been a little more palatable. David did seem to play Jenny's father like a fiddle, or should I say, cello? That being said, I do think Alfred Molina was a good choice for that role (I loved him in Chocolat).
ReplyDeleteThe film lost me a couple of times. The whole "Minnie" and "Bubalump" thing was just weird, but then so was David. In the scene when they drive to a house to abscond with a map, I found David's sudden agitation with Jenny a little unbelievable since up to that point he had only been seen as doting. Apparently there were a number of goofs in the film, but the one that stood out to me occurred when they drove up to that house. The camera was posed in the back seat showing two men in the front of the car. But when the car stopped and the camera angle changed, it was Jenny, not David's friend, Danny, who shared the front with David.
I do like Rosamund Pike, who was cast as Danny's girlfriend, Helen. I loved her in Pride & Prejudice, and was happy to see her in this role. That being said, there was a part early in the film, after the foursome got together that I couldn't read her response to Jenny. It seemed that she was poking fun at her a bit, making her sudden friendship and somewhat sisterly affection a little less believable the next time they got together. If she truly didn't like Jenny, that didn't develop in the film. If she was truly her friend, however, why didn't she tell Jenny the truth?
Overall, the education Jenny received during the film continued to unfold making the film thought provoking and interesting. The lessons Jenny learned seemed to come upon the viewer as unexpectedly as it did Jenny and for that reason, I found the movie compelling. It was definitely worth renting.