Review of An Education (2009) by Ingvar S — 11 Dec 2010

Before I start going on and on about how much I enjoyed the Oscar-Nominated film An Education, I just want to reiterate my appreciation for the Landmark Theatres in Philadelphia. The 3 theatres in Philly provide an affordable and pleasant movie going experience. Without these locations, many of the limited release pictures would never be seen by avid movie fans (including myself). So once again, thank you Landmark Theatres, Philadelphia for being ... well, Awesome.

There had been rumblings around the movie blogosphere about Lone Scherfig's beautiful masterpiece, An Education. So as I previously stated, I took an afternoon trip to Philly to see what all the fuss was about. Being on a limited release, the difficulty one must go through to see this picture is a huge disservice to die hard cinema fans. I must say, this is a film that deserves to be seen by millions of people, nationwide. That being said, hopefully it's studio will do the right thing and put An Education on screens everywhere.

The movie takes place in England in the early 1960s. Jenny (Mulligan) is an attractive and bright 16 year old girl. Her devotion to her studies will hopefully land her an acceptance to the prestigious Oxford University. While being caught in the rain one afternoon, a charming man (nearly twice her age) named David (Sarsgaard) gives her a ride home. Upon another random encounter, David invites Jenny to a concert. At this point, their friendship begins to develop into a romance, and Jenny becomes forced to choose between an adventurous life with David or her dreams of a higher education at Oxford.

An Education was nothing shy of fantastic. There were plenty of laughs to go along with this strange and unpredictable romance between Jenny and David. Some of the most notable performances of the film come from supporting actors Emma Thompson (headmaster of Jenny's school) and Alfred Molina (Jenny's father). But don't be fooled. Mulligan and Sarsgaard had a great chemistry and both chipped in with fine performances of their own. One interesting tidbit is the unbelievable fact that An Education is director Lone Scherfig's first big picture.

This film is suitable for all types of audiences. The emotional highs and lows of An Education will capture the attention of any viewer. And like I said before, there are countless one liners that will have you laughing out loud. Therefore, there's no good reason for anyone reading this to not go out of their way to watch this movie when it becomes accessible.

Stars: 3 and a half out of 4.