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I saw this movie recently. It is an English Flick about a school girl's adventures into a very grown up world. I don't think this is going to be a popular box office draw, but I rather enjoyed this movie. I would recommend seeing especially if there's nothing else u r excited about seeing. If anyone else has seen it or has any thoughts about the movie please chime in.
I thought it was one of the best film of recent years, an extremely tight intelligent script with a superbly nuanced performance by young Carey Mulligan , and an exceptional supporting cast.
It was witty , sharp as cut glass and poignant all at once, and extremely evocative of an era too.
Carey Mulligan is someone to watch. "An Education" to me was the perfect antidote to Hollywood Junk. Thought-provoking, clever and bitter-sweet and most of all original. I only wish more movies were like this.
I thought it was one of the best film of recent years, an extremely tight intelligent script with a superbly nuanced performance by young Carey Mulligan , and an exceptional supporting cast.
It was witty , sharp as cut glass and poignant all at once, and extremely evocative of an era too.
Carey Mulligan is someone to watch. "An Education" to me was the perfect antidote to Hollywood Junk. Thought-provoking, clever and bitter-sweet and most of all original. I only wish more movies were like this.
I love your analysis... You so eloquently stated my every thought. However, I still think for all of those same reasons "An Education" will not draw the masses. It lacks the Hollywood "Bling..." And that could be a good. It is a welcomed change. I hope more people will see it as thoughtfully as you
I love your analysis... You so eloquently stated my every thought. However, I still think for all of those same reasons "An Education" will not draw the masses. It lacks the Hollywood "Bling..." And that could be a good. It is a welcomed change. I hope more people will see it as thoughtfully as you
I fear you may be right , but Mulligan has been nomitated for best actress which at least is a "nod" of recognition . I haven't read the book but the film has now made me want to very much indeed.
One of the thing I truly liked about the film is that "Jenny" is no victim , nor is she a fool. She is a highly intelligent, articulate and in many ways grown up young woman who simply gets swept off her feet as much by a glamourous lifestyle as by David.
And David is no evil predator but a weak and rather cowardly man whose behaviour shows him up as far more immature than Jenny could ever be.
Not so much naivety as this intense and compelling desire to be more than she can be in a rather socially stifling household and era. If I ever had a daughter then Jenny is someone I could truly be proud of. She remains remarkably grounded and grows from her experiences.
"An Education" truly is one of the rare cinematographic treats where life experiences are distilled into a subtle essence of nostalgic fragrance, I don't think Jenny would ever regret her coming of age because at the end of the day those memories will come to make a whole of who she turns out to be. They enrich her rather than take anything away . She is not damaged by it.
They become tightly woven in the very fabric of her existence, a rich and memorable passage from childhood into adulthood.
What could have easily been a moralistic , voyeuristic and prurient film is in fact a deeply subtle analysis of a young life on the cusp of awakening, sexually but most importantly psychologically.
It realy spoke to me because I only remember too well the deep desire to escape from childhood, of being something I was not entirely prepared to be and yet so eager to embrace as a young woman.
Jenny is the woman yet to be in many young women . A hotbed of contradictions, this borderline child-woman with the world at her feet. And in his own way I do feel David did love her and was not playing with her as much as deceiving himself. Morality is in a way redundant because David becomes the catalyst in many ways for Jenny to bloom and flourish and to realise her true potential.
A complex and fragrant film , and an absolutely delightful gem .
I was also very impressed with the rest of the cast, Rosamund Pike ( a favourite actress of mine anyway- I am seeing her on the stage in a couple of months and really looking forward to it) a superb comic creation of the uber-dizzy blonde, Olivia Williams the perfect embittered by life teacher, and Alfred Molina as a loving father with an almost pathological need for his daughter to be a success blinding him to the dangers ahead. He gets taken in by David more than Jenny does...
And Peter Sarsgaard is absolutely superb as David. Charming, sexy in a very understated subtle way, cowardly and weak... One gets the feeling David is simply a very co-dependent man needing constant reassurance about being loved and looked up to. His lack of moral fibre is almost more a defect of character than a vice.
Ultimately I almost felt sorry for David because he at the end of the day ends up losing Jenny, a woman any man should aspire to. Strong, proud and self aware , witty and sharp and someone to be reckoned with.
It goes to show that all you need for a great film is great writing and acting talent. Everything else like big budgets, big names, loud explosions and all the bling that Hollywood likes to gild itself with is utterly superflous.
Jenny is one of the most optimistic , uplifting and feminist character I can think of in a long long time. The Queen of her destiny and her soul. Someone who takes on life with great relish and does not look back. She evolves yet remains true to herself.
Probably the mods, if they notice duplicate posts.
We've had many of those recently, so maybe they don't care as much about it here as they do elsewhere on CD.
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Obviously, I heard about this film b/c it was nominated for an Oscar, which I'm happy about b/c otherwise I probably would have missed it. I haven't see it yet (DVD release date is 3/30/10) but it's getting such great reviews that I am very hopeful that I will like it.
That said, can anyone tell me a bit more about the storyline and/or why you liked the film so much?
It's all in the link that Moosketeer had so thoughtfully posted.
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Originally Posted by Mooseketeer
One of the thing I truly liked about the film is that "Jenny" is no victim , nor is she a fool. She is a highly intelligent, articulate and in many ways grown up young woman who simply gets swept off her feet as much by a glamourous lifestyle as by David....
"An Education" truly is one of the rare cinematographic treats where life experiences are distilled into a subtle essence of nostalgic fragrance, I don't think Jenny would ever regret her coming of age because at the end of the day those memories will come to make a whole of who she turns out to be. They enrich her rather than take anything away . She is not damaged by it.
I just saw the preview a couple nights ago and what Moose says here is exactly what I picked up from it.
I love Sarsgaard; am looking forward to seeing the movie.
I just watched this over the weekend, and it was wonderful, sweet and funny. Carey Mulligan did a fantastic job, and I loved Nick Hornby's script for not treating her as a victim.
I just netflixxed this movie. I watched it twice over the weekend, and one more time with the director's/actor's commentary on. What can I say, I'm a nerd.
One thing I found interesting in the commentary - although it had a bit too much of a mutual admiration society vibe going on - was Peter Sarsgaard's assertion that David's wife is lying about all the other women he is supposed to have fooled around with, got pregnant, etc. During certain funny scenes - such as the time when Jenny ponders aloud about sex (why all the fuss over something that doesn't last very long?) - it seems unbelieveable to Peter that this man is a womanizer. He sometimes reminds one much more of a 16 year old boy than the 35 (?) year old he is. I think his wife knew he was cheating on her, as wives always do, and her intuition told her it was Jenny when she came by. She lashed out at Jenny to hurt her in the only way she could think of, by suggesting that she hadn't been loved or valued for herself, but was simply one of a long line.
Of course the affair had to end one way or another. Since she was already smarter and more mature than he was it could only be a matter of time until something else ended it.
I just netflixxed this movie. I watched it twice over the weekend, and one more time with the director's/actor's commentary on. What can I say, I'm a nerd.
One thing I found interesting in the commentary - although it had a bit too much of a mutual admiration society vibe going on - was Peter Sarsgaard's assertion that David's wife is lying about all the other women he is supposed to have fooled around with, got pregnant, etc. During certain funny scenes - such as the time when Jenny ponders aloud about sex (why all the fuss over something that doesn't last very long?) - it seems unbelieveable to Peter that this man is a womanizer. He sometimes reminds one much more of a 16 year old boy than the 35 (?) year old he is. I think his wife knew he was cheating on her, as wives always do, and her intuition told her it was Jenny when she came by. She lashed out at Jenny to hurt her in the only way she could think of, by suggesting that she hadn't been loved or valued for herself, but was simply one of a long line.
Of course the affair had to end one way or another. Since she was already smarter and more mature than he was it could only be a matter of time until something else ended it.
Thanks ! I want to see it again, I really thought it was one of the best movies of recent years, perhaps because it really spoke to me.
I do agree that David is almost child-like in his womanising ( not sure whether his wife would lie about his previous affairs, possibly I imagine) . I think he genuinely loved Jenny as much as an insecure and immature man can love a woman. I think most of all he admires her. I liked the fact that their affair is not portrayed as a case of predator versus victim. David needs to be loved but also to be looked up to I feel. Both characters were immensely appealing in completely different ways.
She is a true feminist because she does not deny her femininity and vulnerability but is also strong and resilient. She is seduced because she choses to be. She knows something is not quite right but her desire to explore her budding womanhood is stronger than her caution. I like Jenny immensely.
David could have been a bad caricature of a big bad wolf trying to deflower the young ingenue but I think he ends up the loser in the affair. Losing Jenny , the worst thing that could happen to a man (to lose a young woman like that).
Jenny is in all women , this mixture of naivety and yet utter determination and perception. We are our own worst enemies I believe as the fair sex !
I was also greatly impressed by all the supporting cast who all had a great impact upon the story.
I just netflixxed this movie. I watched it twice over the weekend, and one more time with the director's/actor's commentary on. What can I say, I'm a nerd.
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If you're a nerd, I guess I am too.
I watch with director's/actor's commentary all the time.
I love the behind the scenes stuff.
Just added this movie to my queue and put it at #1.
I love movies about strong women.
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If anyone else has seen it or has any thoughts about the movie please chime in.
