An Education Reviews

Though I didn't find the movie to be exceptionally climatic, I thoroughly enjoyed this film. The costume and set design was absolutely phenomenal, as was the casting in my opinion. The only real qualm I have is to do with the banana scene, as most would agree.

Why is it that some of us work ourselves to death in the monotony of reading, studying and paper-writing for years, while others seem to find a way to lead a relaxed existence without needing to do any of that stuff? I look at people who have managed to live more than comfortably thanks to the fact that they have connections or simply because they've been hardcore go-getters since they were very young, and thus managed a way to find an income no matter what, and it's hard not to be a bit jealous that they managed to pull that off without having to subject themselves to the arduous boredom of studying, even if some of them worked hard at other things they did. This ranting that I just did is pertinent here because it relates to one of the two elements that are treated in Lone Scherfig's AN EDUCATION: the dilemma as to whether to advance yourself academically in order to ostensibly get a better life for yourself or to simply "wing it" and try to get by doing other things. Without a doubt, this is the strongest aspect of the film's storyline.

Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is preparing for her A-level exams, as she hopes to read history at Oxford University. She's the intellectual star at her school: she answers all of her teacher's questions correctly, gets constant A+'s, and even drops French phrases in conversation. The ONLY problem is that her Latin isn't quite up to speed, which might be an issue when she takes her exams. Her paranoid father, Jack (Alfred Molina), stresses the importance of her being able to do well so that she can go to Oxford. Jenny definitely seems more than smart enough, so for the audience, it doesn't seem like it'll be too hard for her to just push herself and do well on her Latin... that is, until Jenny meets David (Peter Sarsgaard), who is several years older than her, yet he enthralls her immediately. She starts going out on dates with him and is exposed to a whole new world of sophisticated parties, great music and movies, drinking and smoking. This is certainly a lot more fun than reading and studying and essay-writing, she thinks. Asked where he went to college, David responds that he went to "the university of life," yet look at how well he's doing for himself. And David is so suave that he even beguiles Jenny's parents into letting her date him. Her parents even start thinking that maybe Jenny doesn't need to go to Oxford at all. The great, fun life with David sure seems tempting. Is it too good to be true?

As I mentioned, the storyline of AN EDUCATION is divided into two elements. The one that concerns Jenny's dilemma of having to decide between academia and bohemia is brilliant. The film's dialogue depicting the conflicting priorities and the possible consequences of choosing one path over another is expertly rendered. Two particular scenes, one in which Jenny argues with her teacher and another in which she does the same with her school principal, are truly great. Unfortunately, the romantic aspect of AN EDUCATION isn't as solid; quite frankly, there are times at which it feels soap-operatic. The secret that is revealed later in the film about David feels way too much like something taken out of daytime programming, and even worse *SPOILER WARNING* is the scene towards the end when Jenny meets David's wife, who automatically "knows" everything way too easily. This sort of thing, in my opinion, is quasi cheating in the cinematic world. *END SPOILERS* Another problem is that there are several occasions in which the film's ponderous score becomes too intrusive. It's a shame because there are a handful of scenes in which we can't avoid being dazzled by the quality of newcomer Mulligan's performance, yet when the score is added to sort of "reinforce" her reactions to things, it feels unnecessary. Jenny's facial expressions are more than enough for us to understand the difficulties she's dealing with.

This is the kind of situation in which the "less is more" mantra applies perfectly. If AN EDUCATION had focused strictly on Jenny's weighing of her two possible life choices, or if the romantic element had been handled better, this would indeed be the Oscar-worthy film that it's being hailed to be. Thankfully, once the romantic aspect of the film is put to bed, the film actually still has several minutes left in its running time, and it wisely chooses to dedicate them to its stronger plot line. This is very much the reason why the film is still worth the watch, along with the fact that Carey Mulligan is a pure delight as the main character, with Alfred Molina giving a perfectly paranoid performance as Jenny's father, and Emma Thompson an expertly deadpan one as the school principal.

The film's title will deceive people as they start watching the movie and they see this impressively smart girl doing so well at her academic endeavors. As it ultimately turns out, Jenny gets an education of a different kind, and one of the film's great strengths is in its ability to ultimately deliver the message that even if you learn a really harsh, seemingly destructive lesson, you still might be able to move forward and learn other things. I have to admit that AN EDUCATION's resolution makes me feel good about the choices I've personally made in terms of the pursuit of academic advancement, but it also made me think about how I've had to sort of reconcile that with what I've learned outside the classroom. Even if Jenny made mistakes or was naive at certain points, it's hard not to be happy about the path that she ends up following, and there's no doubt that she's now in a better spot than she was at the start of the film. While I can't argue that AN EDUCATION is a masterpiece, if you can walk out of a movie telling yourself "I'm so glad that she's gonna be okay," then there's no doubt that the filmmakers have done something right.

i watched ''an education'' with no notion about it's plot---i thought carey mulligan was fine as the 16 year old jenny, a student about to take her a-levels exams. her parents aren't sure about her plans to attend oxford--her father is exceedingly sure that 'money doesn't grow on trees''. jenny meets david, a 30ish man who seems to have the world by it's coattails--he not only proceeds to romance her, but also her parents. he charms them into allowing much more than a parent would allow even in a much more permissive environment. he whisks her off to paris, even makes her forget her plans for oxford. she sees her future with david as more than she would ever have with--''an education''---then suddenly jenny discovers david's real life that he had hidden from her and she must cope with the facts of restarting her life without him.-- a wonderful movie? yes but--- it teaches that young girls are always falling in love w/older men, but older men aren't always what they appear to be-- in the end--

im sorry but i thought this movie was whack... and im a total lover of fantastical love stories.

I am not a HUGE romance fan, but this is very different from many romance movies I have seen. Most romance films have dumb stories, and the conflict is just totally out of hand, and is always solved in 15 minutes. This movie has a great story. The romance isn't some dumb teen drama, and the twist in the romance is something we haven't seen before. I am not a spoiler,so I won't tell you what happens. I can tell you that the performances are swell, Carey Mulligan was just fantastic if I might add. Alfred Molina, who portrays Dr. Oc in Spiderman, was great in a supporting role. The lead role played by Peter Sarsgaard was also very superb. I think everyone should watch this film. Its a feel good romance film, that will grow on you and you will learn to love. Another great oscar nominee, that deserves a watch. It also made me cry. 7/10

I was in complete awww with this film all the way through! I think, like most British films that cap off a few Oscar nominations are very underrated even if it gets a Best Picture nomination. An Education is a very beautiful film that is very heartfelt and emotional. The film itself is an educational lesson because it teaches teenagers who are 16-17 to make the most of the rest of their childhood before they grow into adulthood. There were quite a few unexpected twists in this film which I was surprised about from a film like this.


An Education tells the story of a young 16 year old schoolgirl called Jenny. When she meets older Jewish man David, they build a relationship and he tries to take her away from her childhood life to move towards her adult life. Newcomer Carey Mulligan delivers a performance that I think should have got her the Academy Award for Best Leading Actress instead of Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side! Mulligan is 24 years old and she was playing a 16 year old! Watching her as Jenny, she really did look 16. I would say that this is one of the best breakthrough performances that I have seen. Peter Sarsgaard was good as David. It isn't an Oscar worthy performances from him but it certainly was satisfying. Alfred Molina was AWESOME! His performance was very powerful and should've been nominated Best Supporting Actor. He obviously wasn't going to win but still deserved to be one of the 5 actors nominated.


An Education was directed by somebody who has only been involved in directing episodes in the TV so this film was like a breakthrough for Lone Scherfig despite she didn't get a Golden Globe or Oscar Best Director nomination. Now with the film's success, we are only to expect another Oscar worthy film. I guess her breakthrough success was like Jason Reitman when he did Juno and then gave us Up In The Air. The film is based on an autobiographical memoir of the same name written by British journalist Lynn Barber. An Education was nominated for 3 Academy Awards: Best Picture 2009, Best Leading Actress (Carey Mulligan) and Best Adapted Screenplay.


Overall, An Education is a life-teaching lesson for teenagers that is very powerful and emotional to watch. One of the best films of 2009.

“An Education”(2009) é um filme difícil de se comprar. Ao contrário do que tenta vender, um romance de uma jovem ingênua seduzida por “um grande Gatsby”, o ensaio autobiográfico é sinônimo de auto-engrandecimento de sua autora, Lynn Barber.

Assim como no romance de Fitzgerald o pós-guerra pontua a Londres suburbana da década de 60, onde Alfred Molina é mostrado inicialmente como pai disciplinador e implacável quanto ao objetivo que sua filha consiga uma vaga em Oxford. Jenny está empenhada e parece corresponder as expectativas do pai enquanto no tempo livre sonha em viajar para a Paris.

“Serei francesa e vestirei preto” num momento Acossado(1960) de Godard, Jenny adora lançar sentenças no idioma francês, escutar Juliette Greco e discutir existencialismo com suas amigas de colégio(ok.). Durante uma tempestade, a adolescente prodígio é abordada um judeu balzaquiano num Bristol vermelho que oferece para proteger seu violoncelo da chuva e Jenny aceita a carona.
Ele convida a estudante para um concerto de verdade e logo depois Jenny já está fugindo do colégio para participar de leilões de obras de arte, das quais se mostra vívida amante e conhecedora e igualmente desenvolta na companhia de David e seu sócio em jantares regados a champagne. Em poucas semanas Jenny já é uma mulher e cúmplice da lábia de David que seduz seus pais a deixá-la viajar num fim de semana e posteriormente para Paris. Claro que há algo de oculto em David e a previsão de um desfecho infeliz é iminente.

O roteiro de Barber e Nick Hornby (“Um Grande Garoto” e “High Fidelity”) segue glorificando a arrogância da jovem que faz questão de relatar seus mimos para todo colégio e desacata suas professoras dizendo como são graduadas porém ‘mortas’ enquanto ela ouve música boa em lugares fascinantes. Essa exaltação e manipulação para essa espécie distorcida de heroísmo na personagem de Carey Mulligan é irritante, ela sequer está apaixonada pelo excelente e preciso Peter Sarsgaard, que parece ele estar apaixonado e tem ciúmes e não um predador.
Quando ela descobre seus negócios ilícitos de David não se abala pois eles que financiam seu novo mundo cheio de sofisticação, viagens e festas no jockey. O anticlímax é a primeira noite de amor, crua, quando Jenny conclui “Toda aquela poesia e todas aquelas canções sobre algo que não dura nada”.

Jenny não foi cegamente seduzida, assistia David mentir para seus pais e roubar obras de arte e ainda assim abandona o colégio para casar-se com ele, para manter os mimos que desejava e sua prepotência é capaz de culpar os pais pela imprudência de deixá-la sair com um rapaz mais velho caso as coisas não dêem certo. É irritante vê-la associada a alguma espécie de vanguarda ou feminismo quando Jenny é mimada, interesseira e arrogante.

As lentes da dinamarquesa Lone Scherfig abusam do seguro e deixa o filme redondo. A bonequinha de luxo teen acaba de render o BAFTA de melhor atriz para Carey Mulligan, mas o melhor filme britânico, ainda que o desfecho seja o mesmo que em “An Education” foi para o crível e sensível “Fish Tank”( wp.me/pCZrc-2o) .

"If people die the moment that they graduate, then surely it's the things we do beforehand that count."

Over recent years, movie-goers have been subjected to countless coming-of-age tales imbued with a plot concerning a young, naïve person who receives a preview of the adult world lying in wait for them. Directed by Lone Scherfig and scripted by Nick Hornby, 2009's An Education is the latest of this particular pedigree, and it overcomes the numbing sense of familiarity by showcasing a mature, level-headed take on this particular coming-of-age journey. An open, honest examination of sexual politics and a woman's place in the world during the early 1960s, An Education is an immaculately-crafted ode to the loss of innocence which boasts top-shelf performances, evocative cinematography, and a solid screenplay at its core. It's a rich, satisfying cinematic experience, and one of the greatest movies of 2009.

Set during 1961, An Education tells the story of 16-year-old schoolgirl Jenny Mellor (Mulligan) who resides in the London suburb of Twickenham with her parents. Studying hard on the wishes of her father (Molina) in the sole pursuit of getting into Oxford, Jenny soon grows tired of the life chosen for her. Jenny's life drastically changes when she meets David (Sarsgaard); a man twice her age who she meets while walking home from school one day. Seductive and charismatic, David charms Jenny's parents and subtly ingratiates himself into her life. He goes out of his way to show both Jenny and her family that his interests in the 16-year-old are not improper; he merely wishes to expose her to the cultural activities she enjoys the most. She quickly grows accustomed to the life to which David and his companions, Danny (Cooper) and Helen (Pike), have shown her, and the relationship between David and Jenny begins to transform into something romantic. But, as the time-honoured adage states, if something looks too good to be true, it probably is...

The title of An Education refers to the life lessons learned by Jenny as the consequence of her romantic interactions with David. She's educated about life, love and herself throughout the events of this movie - at first she believes she's worldly and self-assured upon entering her liaison with David, but soon learns her sheltered upbringing could never fully prepare her for the painful aspects of the "real world".

Nick Hornby's screenplay (based on the memoirs of Lynn Barber) is incisive and intelligent, and bursts with razor-sharp dialogue. Danish filmmaker Lone Scherfig, best known for Italian for Beginners and Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself, largely allows the material and the performances to tell the story. The director has no insistent style; instead allowing the narrative to unfold with low-key mise-en-scène. On top of this, Scherfig effortlessly evokes the post-war state of the London suburbs - a state which made Jenny restless and her elders complacent - through top-shelf costumes, art direction and musical choices (the soundtrack hums with the era's pop tunes, adding an extra element of fizz). This is a far more difficult job than it might seem, since this particular period of British history essentially lacked key social or cultural signifiers which would explode in the subsequent years (The Beatles were not big yet, for instance). The film's closing scenes do feel distinctly rushed (with lazy narration) and there are several bothersome loose ends (specifically in relation to Danny and Helen), but these objections are minor.

It's borderline rude to get this far into a review of An Education without mentioning young Carey Mulligan. Move over Lindsay Lohan, Hilary Duff and the Olsen twins, and make way for this highly talented young star who isn't a total airhead. Making her stunning leading lady debut here, Mulligan was 22 years old at the time the movie was shot, and effortlessly passes as a teenager of only 16/17 years of age. More than that, she's capable of playing a myriad of emotions, sometimes all at the same time. She's an actress who knows how to work with her eyes; contradicting a brave face by showing the fear and disappointment boiling underneath. Without a doubt, this is the type of performance that will compel movie-goers to look up the actress on the Internet Movie Database in search of other movies she can be seen in. While her résumé is more substantial than others of her age group, Mulligan's work is mainly restricted to roles in British television and supporting parts in major movies (she featured in Public Enemies, in a "blink and you'll miss her" role). To say her performance in An Education is eye-opening would be an understatement; watching her unforced transformation from child to adult is one of those rare star-is-born moments.

Yet, this is not a movie which lives and dies by its leading performance - Mulligan is surrounded by a ridiculous amount of talent. Peter Sarsgaard adopts a wholly credibly British accent; easily slipping into the role of a cad, and conveying limitless charm which makes the premise far easier to buy. Dominic Cooper and Rosamund Pike are equally remarkable, with each espousing a believable accent and emanating charm as David's close friends. Revered British star Emma Thompson is given only a handful of scenes as the headmistress, but nevertheless steals every frame in which she features. If An Education doesn't contain the best ensemble cast of 2009, it's a sure-fire contender for the honour.

With smart, sprightly dialogue from Hornby, smooth direction from Scherfig, unanimously excellent work in the acting department and a star-making performance from Carey Mulligan, it's easy to recommend An Education. Best of all, though, is that it's also solid evidence that a drama doesn't need to be overtly downbeat and distressing to convey a story like this.

9.1/10

An Education tells the story of an innocent, slightly naïve sixteen-year-old, Jenny, who’s pretty and smart and desperately wants something that she is no way prepared to handle or deal with properly. But, truly, aren’t all teenagers like this? I know that I was.

Jenny meets David, the thirty-something who shall provide with the opportunities to see the things that she dreams of and experience her daydream fantasies, in a way that could be described as an almost-meet-cute. There’s something creepy about him from the onset, and it’s not just the age gap. There’s something in his eyes and behind the smile that seems too perfect to be true, too normal to really be sane, too well put together as sophisticated. The story tracks their relationship throughout its entire course, but he isn’t interested in just seducing Jenny, oh no, that would be too easy. He also goes about seducing the parents, who mean well but are, essential, wide-eyed country bumpkins to his smooth-talking cad.

Every performance in this film is a knockout. Carey Mulligan, who plays Jenny, needs to be put on the Oscar shortlist now. She does nothing showy or flashy, but creates a real-live person that you believe in. She feels like a real teenage girl from the moment she pops up on screen to the final few seconds, never once exhibiting an ounce of sweat or a break in character. But she wouldn’t have been able to play this so perfectly if Peter Sarsgaard’s David wasn’t played to perfection as well. He is. How Sarsgaard got lost in the awards shuffle this year is anyone’s guess, but he deserves to come in at the last second and steal a Best Actor slot from someone. Emma Thompson is wonderful as the quick-talking, acid-tongued headmistress of the school, and Olivia Williams de-glams to play a plain schoolmarm (she’s still rather fetching even with oily hair and huge glasses). But my favorite supporting performance would have to go to Rosamund Pike as the too-ditzy-for-words girlfriend of Dominic Cooper’s character. Normally cast as brainy-and-pretty roles, in which she seems right at home, she’s swimming upstream to play dumb and excels.

An Education reminds us that as teenager we may think we know what we want and how to obtain it, but once we’re handed it, it never works out the way we dreamed it would. Jenny gets to meet people who value art, but they value it as a status symbol and she loves it for aesthetic and personal reasons. She goes to France and has sex, but winds up wildly disappointed by something so brief. She falls for an older man, but quickly longs for the awkward and immature boys her own age. Gilded dreams abound.

To put it simply, An Education is extraordinary and positively delightful.