There's a show on TLC or Discovery Channel or one of those called "Dirty Jobs" where the host spends a day doing various jobs most of us would balk at like cleaning up after pigs, going into sewers, and so forth. One job you'll never see him do is also one of the dirtiest jobs imaginable: informing a soldier's family about his/her death.
This is the dirty job assigned to Sergeant Will Montgomery (Ben Foster) when he returns from Iraq after being wounded in a fire fight. Though Will really doesn't want to do the job, he doesn't have much choice about it. So off he goes with Lt. Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson) to deliver the bad news to a soldier's family. Stone gives him the rules, such as they park a block or so away so the family can't see them pulling up, they don't wait around for next of kin to appear, and they never EVER touch the next of kin.
The first time he delivers the bad news himself, Will is nearly attacked by a grieving father (Steve Buscemi) but keeps his cool. The next time around he and Stone visit the house of a woman named Olivia, who seems to take the news far better, which is actually creepier when you think about it. When someone gets this kind of news you expect them to be angry or start screaming, not to thank you and keep folding the laundry.
Will finds himself drawn back to Olivia and starts helping her fix up the old car and taking care of things around the house. If this were a Nicholas Sparks-type romance they'd fall madly in love, making out on some secluded beach and going back to her place to do more than that. Instead, "The Messenger" remains grounded more in the real world, where both Will and Olivia have trouble coming to grips with the traumas in their lives. This doesn't make for happy viewing, but it does make for more thought-provoking viewing. (Though I thought the scene between them in the kitchen goes on for an uncomfortably long time.)
Besides this there's also a burgeoning friendship between Will and Stone. It's not because they have much in common other than their job so much as they both don't really have anyone else. Their friendship culminates in a drunken escapade that they're very lucky doesn't land them in the stockade.
When I watched "Brothers" I commented that someday someone would make a really good movie about soldiers coming home from Afghanistan. With "The Messenger" I think we're far closer to that. It's a little slow and it's definitely not happy, but at the end of the day it reminds you that the horrors of war aren't limited merely to the battlefield.
That is all.
My score: 87/100 (3.5 stars)
Metacritic score: 78/100 (3 stars)
Monday, June 28, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Defendor
You probably haven't heard of this movie. I don't think it had a major theatrical release. I just heard about it as a preview for another movie and decided to put it on my queue to watch. You can get it through Blockbuster or maybe Netflix.
Anyway, in the last decade superhero movies were an in thing and a sub-genre of these is the sort of Don Quixote-type story where an amateur nut decides to go out and try being a superhero. A recent American one in this vein is "Kick-Ass." A slightly older Japanese variation is called "Zebraman." The latter starts off interesting and then gets kind of crazy. The former from the reviews sounds gory and morally questionable.
"Defendor" strikes a balance between these. There's not really any gore and we're not talking about a 12-year-old getting beat up, so that's good. At the same time, the story remains in the ballpark of sanity, which is also a benefit.
As you might have guessed, this is the story of a construction worker named Arthur (Woody Harrellson) who was abandoned as a child and is a little slow. His mom died from using drugs, so he decides to dress up in a helmet, black sweater, and painted-on mask with a duct tape 'D' on his chest as the hero Defendor to find Captain Industry, who he thinks is responsible. For weapons he uses his grandfather's trench club from World War I, marbles, and jars of live wasps.
On his first night he interrupts a dirty undercover cop as he's trying to get a little freebie from a junkie/hooker named Kat (Kat Denning). Kat comes to live with Arthur and gives him information about a Serbian drug dealer that Arthur things is Captain Industry.
Arthur's bumbling attempts to get the goods on the drug dealer lead him to get beat up, shot by a paintball gun, and ultimately arrested. The judge orders him analyzed by a doctor (Sandra Oh) who feels for Arthur. While he's in jail and being analyzed, Arthur also becomes a real hero to the people of the city.
But can a fake hero really take out real criminals? Tune in same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.
I thought this was a pretty fun movie. Of course I was predisposed to like this movie since I wrote a story along similar lines a few years ago. Still, Arthur is a sympathetic character and you can't help rooting for him even if he is probably insane. I mean he's sort of like if Forrest Gump decided to put on some tights and fight crime. And as I said, there's not really any gore or graphic violence.
Overall, if you like superhero movies, this isn't a bad one.
(And if you like superhero stories, this isn't bad either.)
My score: 75/100 (3 stars)
Anyway, in the last decade superhero movies were an in thing and a sub-genre of these is the sort of Don Quixote-type story where an amateur nut decides to go out and try being a superhero. A recent American one in this vein is "Kick-Ass." A slightly older Japanese variation is called "Zebraman." The latter starts off interesting and then gets kind of crazy. The former from the reviews sounds gory and morally questionable.
"Defendor" strikes a balance between these. There's not really any gore and we're not talking about a 12-year-old getting beat up, so that's good. At the same time, the story remains in the ballpark of sanity, which is also a benefit.
As you might have guessed, this is the story of a construction worker named Arthur (Woody Harrellson) who was abandoned as a child and is a little slow. His mom died from using drugs, so he decides to dress up in a helmet, black sweater, and painted-on mask with a duct tape 'D' on his chest as the hero Defendor to find Captain Industry, who he thinks is responsible. For weapons he uses his grandfather's trench club from World War I, marbles, and jars of live wasps.
On his first night he interrupts a dirty undercover cop as he's trying to get a little freebie from a junkie/hooker named Kat (Kat Denning). Kat comes to live with Arthur and gives him information about a Serbian drug dealer that Arthur things is Captain Industry.
Arthur's bumbling attempts to get the goods on the drug dealer lead him to get beat up, shot by a paintball gun, and ultimately arrested. The judge orders him analyzed by a doctor (Sandra Oh) who feels for Arthur. While he's in jail and being analyzed, Arthur also becomes a real hero to the people of the city.
But can a fake hero really take out real criminals? Tune in same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.
I thought this was a pretty fun movie. Of course I was predisposed to like this movie since I wrote a story along similar lines a few years ago. Still, Arthur is a sympathetic character and you can't help rooting for him even if he is probably insane. I mean he's sort of like if Forrest Gump decided to put on some tights and fight crime. And as I said, there's not really any gore or graphic violence.
Overall, if you like superhero movies, this isn't a bad one.
(And if you like superhero stories, this isn't bad either.)
My score: 75/100 (3 stars)
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Crazy Heart
Ah, the glorious life of a professional musician. A little over a week ago I was at a show for a folk singer at a cafe, the kind of place so small they had to move tables aside so people could see the stage. There were maybe a dozen people or so, some of whom probably hadn't even shown up for the concert but just wandered in for a drink. I can't imagine the performers got paid much more than gas money for the gig.
"Crazy Heart" is the story of another such performer: Bad Blake, a country & western singer from the Hank Williams school, long before the more commercial, glitzy acts like Dixie Chicks and Carrie Underwood and so forth. Bad's best days are long behind him. He's 57, broke, an alcoholic with four ex-wives and at least one ex-son.
When we meet Bad he's driving his old Suburban into a bowling alley in Pueblo, New Mexico, where he plays for a dozen or so patrons, mostly older folks. After the set he goes back to the motel wit one of those older folks for a little nightcap.
That pretty much summarizes Bad's life for the last couple of decades. He continues to Santa Fe, where a local reporter named Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal) wants to interview him. Jean has at least one ex-husband and a young son named Buddy. Though she should no better, she can't resist Bad and soon they're doing more than just interviews.
Bad still has some friends in the music business, especially his protege Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell, because who else would you cast to play a country singer but an Irishman?) who wants Bad to write some songs for him--if Bad can sober up long enough to write anything down.
I spent most of the movie waiting for bad things to happen to Bad. There's a car accident and he loses Jean's son in a mall. Other than that, nothing too bad happens to Bad. The movie makes sobering up and turning your life around seems like you could do it in about a week if you feel like it.
I couldn't help thinking of a line from Bret Easton Ellis' new novel Imperial Bedrooms:
I think in this case that's certainly what I was demanding. Instead, Bad seems almost rewarded for his lifetime of sins. All we needed was for the son to show up and give him a hug in a tearful reunion. (Is it a spoiler if I tell you what doesn't happen?)
Overall the first 90 minutes or so are good. It's the last 20 or so where it falls down in trying to make redemption seem so easy. I think someone once said nothing worth having is ever won cheaply. That should be especially true for your soul.
That is all.
My score: 75/100 (3 stars)
Metacritic score: 83/100 (3.5 stars)
"Crazy Heart" is the story of another such performer: Bad Blake, a country & western singer from the Hank Williams school, long before the more commercial, glitzy acts like Dixie Chicks and Carrie Underwood and so forth. Bad's best days are long behind him. He's 57, broke, an alcoholic with four ex-wives and at least one ex-son.
When we meet Bad he's driving his old Suburban into a bowling alley in Pueblo, New Mexico, where he plays for a dozen or so patrons, mostly older folks. After the set he goes back to the motel wit one of those older folks for a little nightcap.
That pretty much summarizes Bad's life for the last couple of decades. He continues to Santa Fe, where a local reporter named Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal) wants to interview him. Jean has at least one ex-husband and a young son named Buddy. Though she should no better, she can't resist Bad and soon they're doing more than just interviews.
Bad still has some friends in the music business, especially his protege Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell, because who else would you cast to play a country singer but an Irishman?) who wants Bad to write some songs for him--if Bad can sober up long enough to write anything down.
I spent most of the movie waiting for bad things to happen to Bad. There's a car accident and he loses Jean's son in a mall. Other than that, nothing too bad happens to Bad. The movie makes sobering up and turning your life around seems like you could do it in about a week if you feel like it.
I couldn't help thinking of a line from Bret Easton Ellis' new novel Imperial Bedrooms:
He had to be punished for all of his sins. That's what the movie demanded. (Later, as a screenwriter, I learned it's what all movies demanded.)
I think in this case that's certainly what I was demanding. Instead, Bad seems almost rewarded for his lifetime of sins. All we needed was for the son to show up and give him a hug in a tearful reunion. (Is it a spoiler if I tell you what doesn't happen?)
Overall the first 90 minutes or so are good. It's the last 20 or so where it falls down in trying to make redemption seem so easy. I think someone once said nothing worth having is ever won cheaply. That should be especially true for your soul.
That is all.
My score: 75/100 (3 stars)
Metacritic score: 83/100 (3.5 stars)
Monday, May 31, 2010
Iron Man 2
I waited three weeks to finally see this because the prevailing opinion I got from professional reviewers and amateur ones was that this was OK, but not as good as the first one. On the whole I'd agree with that assessment. "Iron Man 2" doesn't embarrass itself like, say, "Batman and Robin" but it isn't in the same league as "The Dark Knight" or even "Spider-Man 2." Basically it's just a mediocre sequel that's enjoyable but doesn't add a whole lot.
When last we saw billionaire Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr. who has bucked traditional wisdom and thanks to CGI become an action star in his mid-40s) he was revealing to the world that he is Iron Man, pretty much so the director could cue the "I Am Iron Man" song. Anyway, now that he's made this admission, he finds out why the other superheroes keep their identities secret. First off, the government (led by a chubby Gary Shandling) wants the Iron Man technology. Second, a bitter ex-physicist in Russia named Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) starts work on his own arc reactor so he can take revenge on Stark, whose father stole the arc reactor technology from Vanko's father--supposedly.
On top of all of this, Tony is dying because the mini-arc reactor keeping shrapnel from piercing his heart is poisoning his blood. He decides to foist the daily running of his company to his loyal assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and takes to drinking and acting erratically to while out the end of his days.
This includes taking over for the driver of his Indy car in a race in Monaco. There as you've probably seen from the commercials, he runs into Vanko, who uses some kind of crazy electrical whips to blow up Tony's car. After Tony stops him and they have their little "Dark Knight"-style jail confrontation, Vanko is sprung by a competitor from Tony's so that he can use his skills for evil.
After that, it's on.
The movie's about two hours long and it feels like it at parts. Besides Vanko there are some other new characters. Some like Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson) might show up in future Marvel superheroes movies like the "Avengers" movie in the works for 2012 or so. As a result, some characters like Pepper Potts seem to get less time than in the first one.
Anyway, I already said at the beginning of my review this was OK but not great. On the whole it's enjoyable enough, with the same blend of humor and action as in the first one. Still, it doesn't really add much depth to the characters to make it a really good sequel. You'll get your money's worth, but it's not anything you'll really remember much after you leave the theater.
That is all.
My score: 62/100 (2.5 stars)
Metacritic score: 57/100 (2 stars)
When last we saw billionaire Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr. who has bucked traditional wisdom and thanks to CGI become an action star in his mid-40s) he was revealing to the world that he is Iron Man, pretty much so the director could cue the "I Am Iron Man" song. Anyway, now that he's made this admission, he finds out why the other superheroes keep their identities secret. First off, the government (led by a chubby Gary Shandling) wants the Iron Man technology. Second, a bitter ex-physicist in Russia named Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) starts work on his own arc reactor so he can take revenge on Stark, whose father stole the arc reactor technology from Vanko's father--supposedly.
On top of all of this, Tony is dying because the mini-arc reactor keeping shrapnel from piercing his heart is poisoning his blood. He decides to foist the daily running of his company to his loyal assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and takes to drinking and acting erratically to while out the end of his days.
This includes taking over for the driver of his Indy car in a race in Monaco. There as you've probably seen from the commercials, he runs into Vanko, who uses some kind of crazy electrical whips to blow up Tony's car. After Tony stops him and they have their little "Dark Knight"-style jail confrontation, Vanko is sprung by a competitor from Tony's so that he can use his skills for evil.
After that, it's on.
The movie's about two hours long and it feels like it at parts. Besides Vanko there are some other new characters. Some like Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson) might show up in future Marvel superheroes movies like the "Avengers" movie in the works for 2012 or so. As a result, some characters like Pepper Potts seem to get less time than in the first one.
Anyway, I already said at the beginning of my review this was OK but not great. On the whole it's enjoyable enough, with the same blend of humor and action as in the first one. Still, it doesn't really add much depth to the characters to make it a really good sequel. You'll get your money's worth, but it's not anything you'll really remember much after you leave the theater.
That is all.
My score: 62/100 (2.5 stars)
Metacritic score: 57/100 (2 stars)
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
I watched this in my hotel room in Toronto while on vacation, so obviously I didn't see it with all the 3D bells and whistles. Which if you think about it is how most people will see it when it comes out soon on DVD, unless you have one of those new 3D TVs.
Anyway, after watching this I realized why this movie seemed so familiar--because it was pretty similar to Disney's Narnia franchise. Really you could have called this "Alice, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." It follows roughly the same plot, only Alice goes down a rabbit hole instead of through a wardrobe. She ends up in a magic world where animals talk that's ruled by a wicked queen--the Red Queen. And of course before you can say "Keanu Reeves" Alice becomes The One who has to save Wonderland from the Red Queen and her main monster the Jabberwocky. Replace Wonderland with Narnia, the Red Queen with the White Witch, and Alice with the four kids and you have "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." Though there isn't so much obvious Christian symbolism in "Alice" which is good or bad depending on your point of view.
If you saw Disney's animated "Alice in Wonderland" back in the day, this is supposed to be a kind of sequel. Basically it takes place 13 years after Alice originally went to Wonderland, which she thought was just a dream. This comes when her boring boyfriend proposes to her in front of a snobby audience. Alice with her father's whimsical spirit decides instead to light out after the white rabbit and ends up going down the hole.
Because I didn't have the 3D and because the plot seemed so familiar, I didn't really love this movie. It wasn't terrible and at least not as trippy as the original Disney version, but it wasn't great either. I read the Alice books way back in grade school, but I don't remember them well enough to compare them to this movie. There are probably some similarities. One probable change is that since they spent millions to get Johnny Depp for the Mad Hatter, they had to give him a more significant and sympathetic role. What was really missing was some kind of love interest for Alice, though maybe in the sequels she could hook up with the Mad Hatter.
Anyway, as I said this isn't a bad movie. (The worst part is Avril Lavigne caterwauling the theme song at the end.) It should be an enjoyable family rental even without the 3D. Or you could watch it in a hotel room like I did.
That is all.
My score: 62/100 (2.5 stars)
Metacritic score: 53 (2 stars)
Anyway, after watching this I realized why this movie seemed so familiar--because it was pretty similar to Disney's Narnia franchise. Really you could have called this "Alice, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." It follows roughly the same plot, only Alice goes down a rabbit hole instead of through a wardrobe. She ends up in a magic world where animals talk that's ruled by a wicked queen--the Red Queen. And of course before you can say "Keanu Reeves" Alice becomes The One who has to save Wonderland from the Red Queen and her main monster the Jabberwocky. Replace Wonderland with Narnia, the Red Queen with the White Witch, and Alice with the four kids and you have "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." Though there isn't so much obvious Christian symbolism in "Alice" which is good or bad depending on your point of view.
If you saw Disney's animated "Alice in Wonderland" back in the day, this is supposed to be a kind of sequel. Basically it takes place 13 years after Alice originally went to Wonderland, which she thought was just a dream. This comes when her boring boyfriend proposes to her in front of a snobby audience. Alice with her father's whimsical spirit decides instead to light out after the white rabbit and ends up going down the hole.
Because I didn't have the 3D and because the plot seemed so familiar, I didn't really love this movie. It wasn't terrible and at least not as trippy as the original Disney version, but it wasn't great either. I read the Alice books way back in grade school, but I don't remember them well enough to compare them to this movie. There are probably some similarities. One probable change is that since they spent millions to get Johnny Depp for the Mad Hatter, they had to give him a more significant and sympathetic role. What was really missing was some kind of love interest for Alice, though maybe in the sequels she could hook up with the Mad Hatter.
Anyway, as I said this isn't a bad movie. (The worst part is Avril Lavigne caterwauling the theme song at the end.) It should be an enjoyable family rental even without the 3D. Or you could watch it in a hotel room like I did.
That is all.
My score: 62/100 (2.5 stars)
Metacritic score: 53 (2 stars)
Friday, April 9, 2010
The Merry Gentleman
You might never have heard of this movie because I don't think it was every in wide release. It does help answer the question, "Whatever happened to Michael Keaton?" Since the Batman movies in the early 90s he's been in a few movies like "Jack Frost," "White Noise," and whatever the Lindsey Lohan Love Bug movie was called but nothing really major. Someone could have started a death hoax on Twitter and it wouldn't have really surprised me because I hadn't really seen him in anything in so long.
In this case Keaton directs and stars in "The Merry Gentleman" as a hitman who like most hitmen in movies is starting to regret his choice of careers. After completing an assignment to kill some old guy--who or why is never really said--he stands on the ledge of the building and contemplates jumping. That is until Kate (Kelly MacDonald of "No Country for Old Men" and "Choke") sees him and screams, startling him so that he tumbles back safely.
Kate has recently come to Chicago from New York or some place like that after her husband gave her a black eye, which was probably the latest in a series of black eyes. She's starting her life over again and has guys practically throwing themselves at her. There's a guy at the office XMas party and one of the cops who investigates the murder of the guy Frank killed. A dinner between the cop and Kate goes horribly wrong because she doesn't realize that he's making a move on her.
On the way home from this disastrous meeting, Kate decides to buy an XMas tree. Unfortunately the tree is bigger than her, so that she has a terrible time getting up the stairs, until Frank shows up to help her with it. In turn, Kate takes Frank the hospital when he passes out from pneumonia probably caused from too many cold Chicago nights on rooftops waiting to shoot people.
Naturally they begin to spend more time with each other, but things are bound to get complicated.
Don't get the wrong idea that this is a romantic comedy or even romantic in any way. If there was any kissing it was pretty brief and there's no sex at all. When Frank and Kate are hanging out they hardly say anything to each other because they're both keeping so much from each other.
That's the overriding problem with the movie. It becomes frustrating because there's so much left unsaid and so much more that you'd like to know about Frank and Kate. The way it ends was particularly unsatisfying. Not that I necessarily want them to end kissing against the setting sun, but something a little more concrete would have been nice.
Overall this isn't a bad movie, but there's too much missing for it to be a great movie either.
That is all.
My score: 62/100 (2.5 stars)
Metacritic score: 55/100 (2 stars)
In this case Keaton directs and stars in "The Merry Gentleman" as a hitman who like most hitmen in movies is starting to regret his choice of careers. After completing an assignment to kill some old guy--who or why is never really said--he stands on the ledge of the building and contemplates jumping. That is until Kate (Kelly MacDonald of "No Country for Old Men" and "Choke") sees him and screams, startling him so that he tumbles back safely.
Kate has recently come to Chicago from New York or some place like that after her husband gave her a black eye, which was probably the latest in a series of black eyes. She's starting her life over again and has guys practically throwing themselves at her. There's a guy at the office XMas party and one of the cops who investigates the murder of the guy Frank killed. A dinner between the cop and Kate goes horribly wrong because she doesn't realize that he's making a move on her.
On the way home from this disastrous meeting, Kate decides to buy an XMas tree. Unfortunately the tree is bigger than her, so that she has a terrible time getting up the stairs, until Frank shows up to help her with it. In turn, Kate takes Frank the hospital when he passes out from pneumonia probably caused from too many cold Chicago nights on rooftops waiting to shoot people.
Naturally they begin to spend more time with each other, but things are bound to get complicated.
Don't get the wrong idea that this is a romantic comedy or even romantic in any way. If there was any kissing it was pretty brief and there's no sex at all. When Frank and Kate are hanging out they hardly say anything to each other because they're both keeping so much from each other.
That's the overriding problem with the movie. It becomes frustrating because there's so much left unsaid and so much more that you'd like to know about Frank and Kate. The way it ends was particularly unsatisfying. Not that I necessarily want them to end kissing against the setting sun, but something a little more concrete would have been nice.
Overall this isn't a bad movie, but there's too much missing for it to be a great movie either.
That is all.
My score: 62/100 (2.5 stars)
Metacritic score: 55/100 (2 stars)
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
An Education
The old expression is that if something is too good to be true, it probably is. This holds especially true in love. When 16-year-old schoolgirl Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is offered a ride home in the rain by the much-older David (Peter Sarsgaard) she is instantly smitten. David has a sports car, he likes music, books, films, art, and all the other things that a wanna-be worldly girl like Jenny wants in a man.
It doesn’t take long for David to not only seduce Jenny but her parents as well. Her father (Alfred Molina) is almost as impressed with David’s knowledge as Jenny. He’s especially impressed that David seems to be rich and connected to famous people like CS Lewis. So with little prompting he allows Jenny to spend weekends with David unchaperoned, including a trip to Paris.
Even after Jenny learns some dark secrets about David, she decides to stay with him because he’s the cure to her life of constant studying Latin and Victorian literature to try and get into Oxford. Her teachers try to dissuade her when she starts getting in too deep, but Jenny shucks this off as jealousy.
This is all a good setup for a mature and thoughtful romance. It’s too bad the final act takes a predictable turn. It would have been nice if the movie had tried to think outside the box a little bit more in resolving the relationship between Jenny and David. Instead it falls back on a cliché like so many movies do.
The title "An Education" has a double meaning. First there's the issue of education in Jenny's father's relentless quest to get her into Oxford. What Jenny starts to wonder after spending time with David is what's the point of this education if she's going to end up lonely and bored like her teachers? (This taking place in 1961 there weren't many other opportunities for young women like her.) The title also refers to the education Jenny receives about life from her relationship with David. That is perhaps far more important.
Carey Mulligan does a great job of portraying the vulnerable and naïve young girl who like so many before her thinks she knows far more than she does. Peter Sarsgaard (born in Illinois) does a good job at portraying an older British guy without coming across like a creep.
Overall this was another movie like “500 Days of Summer” also from last year that’s a romantic movie but isn’t your traditional romance. If you want that you could go watch “The Last Song” or some other Nicholas Sparks tripe.
That is all.
My score: 75/100 (3 stars)
Metacritic score 85/100 (3.5 stars)
It doesn’t take long for David to not only seduce Jenny but her parents as well. Her father (Alfred Molina) is almost as impressed with David’s knowledge as Jenny. He’s especially impressed that David seems to be rich and connected to famous people like CS Lewis. So with little prompting he allows Jenny to spend weekends with David unchaperoned, including a trip to Paris.
Even after Jenny learns some dark secrets about David, she decides to stay with him because he’s the cure to her life of constant studying Latin and Victorian literature to try and get into Oxford. Her teachers try to dissuade her when she starts getting in too deep, but Jenny shucks this off as jealousy.
This is all a good setup for a mature and thoughtful romance. It’s too bad the final act takes a predictable turn. It would have been nice if the movie had tried to think outside the box a little bit more in resolving the relationship between Jenny and David. Instead it falls back on a cliché like so many movies do.
The title "An Education" has a double meaning. First there's the issue of education in Jenny's father's relentless quest to get her into Oxford. What Jenny starts to wonder after spending time with David is what's the point of this education if she's going to end up lonely and bored like her teachers? (This taking place in 1961 there weren't many other opportunities for young women like her.) The title also refers to the education Jenny receives about life from her relationship with David. That is perhaps far more important.
Carey Mulligan does a great job of portraying the vulnerable and naïve young girl who like so many before her thinks she knows far more than she does. Peter Sarsgaard (born in Illinois) does a good job at portraying an older British guy without coming across like a creep.
Overall this was another movie like “500 Days of Summer” also from last year that’s a romantic movie but isn’t your traditional romance. If you want that you could go watch “The Last Song” or some other Nicholas Sparks tripe.
That is all.
My score: 75/100 (3 stars)
Metacritic score 85/100 (3.5 stars)
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