My Review: An Education (7/10)

¨If people die the moment that they graduate, then surely it`s the things we do before hand that count. If you never do anything, you never become anyone.¨

(7/10) An Education is one of the ten nominated movies for best picture in the Oscars this year and it is the last one I got around to watching because I thought it would be the less interesting one. I remember seeing the trailer and thinking: not again, another movie about an underage girl having a relationship with an older man. Well, when I finally got around to seeing An Education I was really surprised at how the story caught my attention and captivated me. The performance from the entire cast was excellent, but Carey Mulligan stands out in the lead role. It will be a difficult task for her to overcome heavy favorites Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep in the Oscar race for best performance by a leading actress. An Education might end up empty handed in the Oscar race, but that doesn`t mean you shouldn`t get around to seeing this movie. Female Danish director, Lone Sherfig, does a great job directing this film with an almost entirely English cast. Nick Hornby, known mostly for writing novels such as High Fidelity, Fever Pitch, and About a Boy, writes the screenplay for An Education which is based on the memoir from Lynn Barber. Surprisingly the main issue that An Education deals with isn`t the relationship between an older man and a girl; but the conflict between deciding to have a good education or marrying a wealthy man and living a good life. Mulligan`s character is so mature that it makes it difficult for the audience to see her as a little girl.

The story takes place around 1960 in a London suburb. Jenny Mellor (Carey Mulligan from Public Enemies and Pride and Prejudice) is a very talented sixteen year old who is studying really hard in order to be accepted to the prestigious Oxford University. She loves art, speaking French, and playing the cello. Her father, Jack (Alfred Molina from Spider Man 2) pushes her really hard because he wants her to have a better life than him and recognizes that she is extremely gifted and smart. Miss Stubbs (Olivia Williams who I recognized from The Sixth Sense) is her English teacher who also recognizes her talent and encourages her to take the exam in order to be accepted. Graham (Matthew Beard) is a young Jewish boy who is interested in Jenny, but her father disapproves because he has no aspirations in life. Jenny`s life will change dramatically when she meets a much older man named David (Peter Sarsgaard from Boys Don`t Cry and Jarhead). He seems to be a wealthy man who drives a nice car and is always inviting her to cultural events along with his friends Danny (Dominic Cooper from The Duchess) and Helen (Rosamund Pike who played Miranda Frost in the Bond film Die Another Day). Together they have a great time, and Jenny gets to know the world she has been reading in books for so long. She even goes to Paris with David because he is so goo d at winning her parents acceptance. Jack really likes David and everything he has to offer for his daughter and Jenny seems happy living the life she always dreamt about, but not everything is what it seems and money doesn`t grow around in trees. Emma Thompson has a small role as the Headmistress of Jenny`s school and she disapproves of her new relationship. Jenny is at risk of losing her education at Oxford and she doesn`t seem to mind because she finds out life is such more fun living it than actually studying.

I already said that Carey Mulligan was great in this film as the very smart and gifted Jenny, but Rosamund Pike has to get some credit for playing the stupid blonde and contributing in some of the funniest lines of the movie. Peter Sarsgaard is also great as David as he not only wins over Jenny and her parent`s hearts, but the audience`s as well. The performances in the movie are great and the story is very interesting. The dilemma that the film presents between getting a good education or getting married with a wealthy person is also a great debate. It is funny that Emma Thompson played a character that was so in favor of education, when she herself has said in real life that ¨the best education there can be for an actor is to walk up the street and observe human nature.¨ Jenny seemed to be the one using similar lines in this movie to prove her point. She was having the time of her life and learning so many things by attending these high class society events. The scenes between her and the headmistress, or with Miss Stubs are perhaps the best in the movie. Another touching moment was Alfred Molina´s monologue to Jenny while she was locked in her room. I really enjoyed the performances and the story as well.