In “An Education,” a light drama directed by Lone Scherfig, Jenny (Carrey Mulligan), a young woman hoping to attend Oxford University, falls in love with David (Peter Sarsgaard), a rich gentleman, and starts to question her academic aspirations.
The film features several great performances. Carrey Mulligan is fantastic as Jenny. She captures the character’s desire for independence with great expressive detail. From her infectious smiles to her emotional sobs, Mulligan nails nearly every emotion. Alfred Molina also delights as Jenny’s overbearing father. Molina’s performance is broadly comic and over-the-top, but in a good way. His explosions of wit and anger feel natural for a father who sincerely wants the best for his daughter.
While the performances are uniformly excellent, the film’s narrative runs snags at several instances. Many of the characters, with the exception of Jenny and her father, feel either undeveloped or clichéd. For example, the character of David, Jenny’s older lover, feels underwritten. Why is he seducing a girl nearly half his age? The script fails to gives us any insight into his motives. And although Rosamund Pike is a hoot as Helen, a rather ditzy friend of David’s, her character feels a tad one-dimensional.
What the script, written by Nick Hornby, lacks in characterization, it makes up for in theme. The film deals with the complex balance between personal pleasure and accomplishment in a way that is neither stuffy nor simplistic. Unfortunately, the script’s narrative snags prevent these themes from ever fully resonating. While the first two acts feel refreshingly light, with a few key dramatic moments sprinkled throughout, the film’s last act becomes far too heavy-handed. All of a sudden, the film deteriorates into a bunch of speeches and “profound” one-liners, and the film starts to feel artificial.
While the film’s conclusion feels artificial, the production design does not. “An Education” vibrantly recreates the culture of the 60s in both London and Paris, without drawing too much attention away from the narrative. The result is an extremely polished art design.
To conclude, “An Education” succeeds due to a few magnificent performances, but lacks a powerful, coherent script to support its weighty themes.
B-
While the performances are uniformly excellent, the film’s narrative runs snags at several instances. Many of the characters, with the exception of Jenny and her father, feel either undeveloped or clichéd. For example, the character of David, Jenny’s older lover, feels underwritten. Why is he seducing a girl nearly half his age? The script fails to gives us any insight into his motives. And although Rosamund Pike is a hoot as Helen, a rather ditzy friend of David’s, her character feels a tad one-dimensional.
What the script, written by Nick Hornby, lacks in characterization, it makes up for in theme. The film deals with the complex balance between personal pleasure and accomplishment in a way that is neither stuffy nor simplistic. Unfortunately, the script’s narrative snags prevent these themes from ever fully resonating. While the first two acts feel refreshingly light, with a few key dramatic moments sprinkled throughout, the film’s last act becomes far too heavy-handed. All of a sudden, the film deteriorates into a bunch of speeches and “profound” one-liners, and the film starts to feel artificial.
While the film’s conclusion feels artificial, the production design does not. “An Education” vibrantly recreates the culture of the 60s in both London and Paris, without drawing too much attention away from the narrative. The result is an extremely polished art design.
To conclude, “An Education” succeeds due to a few magnificent performances, but lacks a powerful, coherent script to support its weighty themes.
B-
