An Education

Okay, first of all, I didn't like the subject matter.

I never really liked older man-teenage girl romance flicks. That's just...eeewww. At least for me.

But, this film was well-executed.

First, the screenplay was by Nick Hornby. That's the Nick Hornby. It's not based on a Hornby book; he wrote the screenplay based on the memoirs of Lynn Barber.

Second, Alfred Molina was awesome. Alfred Molina is a terrific actor, and he just nails every scene he's in.

Third, Carey Mulligan was surprisingly great. And she got a Best Actress Oscar nomination for this performance. Of course, she's not really sixteen. I mean, this is the movies, for crying out loud. No one really plays their age. And yes, sometimes she comes off as too smart for her age. But she is really pretty. She reminded me of Katie Holmes. A lot. Even her mannerisms and facial twitches were all Katie Holmes. And I also couldn't help but see the parallelism between Katie Holmes and Carey Mulligan's character. Hello, older man=Tom Cruise. Eeewww.

Fourth, Olivia Williams' acting was excellent. She brings out the human side in all seemingly bitchy teachers. And she's totally believable. It's like you've had, or you've heard of, a teacher like that, some time in your scholastic past.

Fifth, Peter Sarsgaard was despicable. Which means he's good. Older men who prey on vulnerable teenage girls should always be despicable.

So there you have it. Those five points I just mentioned override my abhorrence towards the subject matter.

And before I end this, let me just explain the title. The education in this movie happens on two levels: her education in school, and her education in real life. Just watch the film to figure it out.

*some info from IMDb

pic from pastemagazine.com

An Education. UK. 2009.

Rating: Eight out of ten.