"An Education"....literally.

First off, I must apologize for the long delay in posting any new reviews. Ya see, the thing is, I'm kind of sensitive. So on my last blog when I saw that no one commented, I automatically thought that meant no one ever reads this or even cares. So I said forget them. Two things have convinced me maybe it's ok to keep writing. First off, I've heard from various people saying, "How come you stopped?" So I guess that means people were reading it, but just not commenting. Also, when I'm reviewing movies like "The Crazies" I should probably realize the reach of the appeal to this movie may not be that encompassing, so we will try and review movies that will be applicable to those who may read this.

Ok, so this week Ash and I rented "An Education." I had seen previews for this and heard of it, and to be honest, I wasn't too excited to see it. But after a long day of work I stopped at Red Box and it was the best thing there. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised and have found myself thinking about the movie days after I watched it. That is a good indicator that a movie is capable of leaving an impact and not quickly forgotten. You may also be wondering, "Wouldn't a movie like this be better for Ashley to write about?" Well, she managed to stay awake for a total of 12 seconds before she fell asleep. Ash won't make it through a movie without a Rockstar or Johnny Depp.

So the movie is the story of a 17 year old girl (we will call her Anna...I forgot her name) at a private school in England. She is very smart. One of the things I loved about her character is that she played the roll of a very smart person. It wasn't just simply said or implied that she was smart, her ACTING was smart. She had quick, insightful, and intelligent lines that made you really buy into her character. Anyway, she is being raised by her mom and dad (or as they say in the mother land, Mum and Pop). The mom plays a housewife that has been subdued and humbled by a dominating the husband. Although the husband/father is a bit rough and the typical "alpha male", it is clear that he has various redeeming qualities and loves his wife and daughter very much. Ever since the daughter was a young girl, her dad has stressed the NEED for her to get a scholarship and attend Oxford. It was almost like she didn't have a choice. Anna has a great love for art, jazz music, singing, and living life. The dad sees all of these as distractions from school, so she is constantly hiding her jazz records and practing her music in private.

One day while walking home in the rain, she meets a man (we'll call him Charles) that charms his way into her life. He is probably about 35, drives a nice car, has lots of money, and seems to be living life to its fullest. This guy definitely has a silver tounge...having the ability to talk is way into or out of anything he wants. He is so great at talking, that he is able to make her conservative parents fall head over heals in love with him to the point that she can go wherever she wants with him.

He shows her the world she has always dreamed of. He takes her to art auctions, jazz shows, shopping, Paris, and on beautiful drives. She falls in love, not only with the charming man, but the charming lifestyle.

I'll leave the rest for you two find out. You are probably thinking that this movie doesn't seem like there is much to it and it sounds a bit dull. It had a few boring spots, but the following list is what gave it depth and character.

1. The characters, especially played by Anna, her father, and her lover were played extremely well.
2. It was refreshing to see a movie where the girl wasn't a floozy and disregarded her morals at the first sight of love. She is smart, witty, and moral, and retains all those qualities throughout the movie.
3. The stance the movie takes. The first half of the movie, the director does an INCREDIBLE job of making the viewer believe that the secret to life is to do whatever you want and just have fun. For the whole first half, I really thought that's what the point of the movie was. But the second half does a great job of flipping the whole scenario and teaching the principles or hard work, education, and lasting fulfillment in life, in lieu of temporary happiness. The flip/change of stance in the movie drives the point even stronger.
4. Anna has a teacher in the movie that has a pretty small roll in the movie all together. But there is a scene towards the end that puts good teachers on the pedestal where they belong. If you are going to be or want to be a teacher, watch the movie and pay attention to the scene. It will remind you why you're going into this field.
5. Every character in the movie seemed to be quite guarded. Towards the end, there are scenes where they let down their walls and show the emotions they constantly bottle up. Because they play the rolls so well of being guarded, independent people, it makes these scenes where they take down their walls even stronger.

Ok, that's all. Watch the movie, and tell me what you think.

My final grade for the movie is a 90%.

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving sexual content, and for smoking.