Review of An Education (2009) by Greg R — 15 Jan 2011

Having not seen this film prior to last year's Oscar race I wrote it off as just another British film with stuffy dialogue and nominated for being a well done period piece. When I'm wrong, sometimes I'm very wrong.

In the case of this film I was dead wrong. Carey Mulligan gave one of those ground breaking performances that are reminiscent of Dustin Hoffman in "The Graduate". Very sage beyond her years. Of course Mulligan is a bit younger than the 16-17 year old young school girl she plays, but she can look both like a little girl and at times like an elegant woman without compromising the character one bit.

Alfred Molina, always the underrated actor plays her simple, narrow-minded father who at his core only wants what is best for his daughter. Given that the film was set in 1961, we must realize that it was a different era. I don't want to elaborate and give anymore away. The wonderful character actor Peter Skaarsgard is brilliant as well (and as usual) and was the most difficult character to figure out. In the end we have a climax that lets us know without doubt.

It's my opinion that this was the best film of 2009 and as much as I love "The Hurt Locker", that is saying quite a bit. This film will stand the test of time and should forever be considered a classic and may very well be destined for film noir status. Sandra Bullock was feisty, playing a character that was very out of character for her (much like Julia Roberts in "Erin Brockovich") and I felt deserving of her best actress Oscar last year, That all changed upon viewing of Mulligan in this film. It will also teach this critic to always check out all of the competition before choosing a favorite. Mulligan was in a word, magnificent.