An Education (12A, 100 mins)
A lesson in how to manufacture pure bland
Plot?
Jenny (Mulligan), is a young schoolgirl who has to decide between an easy, wealthy, married life, or working hard and achieving an Oxford University education.
Thoughts?
This is a hard review to put together. Not that this film is so bad that it’s hard to put into words. Or that it’s so good that it’s hard to do it justice.
No, it’s because this is so thoroughly ok, so perfectly middle of the road, so shockingly unremarkable it’s hard to be either too harsh, or too generous in assessing it.
Mulligan puts in a decent performance as a troubled teen. But even though she is a more sympathetic character than, say, Bella in Twilight: New Moon (she doesn’t mope all the time for one, and she *gasp* actually smiles from time to time), she can’t sustain the whole film.
Molina makes probably the biggest impression as a doting, muddled father, but this is only as the rest of the characters are so white washed and flat- his slightly lovable and occasionally amusing turn was bound to stand out. In any other film he would hardly register.
The film also rushes through it’s conclusion a bit, but not enough to be a genuine flaw. It’s almost as if the director got a bit bored with what was happening and decided to cut it short.
It does mean the film is surprisingly brief for a (supposedly) lyrical and affecting drama, at just over half an hour. Depending on who you are that could be a merciful positive though.
Another minor annoyance is that the ending does not really justify the previous hundred minutes. Jenny’s character arc is not in anyway satisfying, and the tough choice she has to make near the end was completely pointless. Without ruining it, she, effectively, loses nothing through the option she made. She’s just held back a little bit.
In summary then, if this film was a life support machine, it would be one that is just, just, faintly alive. There are tiny blips of plot developments, so that your interest is never flat lined, but never does it go for the jugular, and get you truly involved in what’s occurring onscreen.
Right, time for a word count…338? That’s easily enough. Phew. That was hard work.
Verdict?
The definition of two stars. (2/5)
Haiku?
So, so, Average
Please, please, something bizarre happen
No? Two stars for you!
Go Further (this is going to be difficult)…
· Ummm, Emma Thompson has a small role as a head teacher. She’s a bit of a jerk of a character. That’s it really. No film stealing cameo here.
· The opening credits are quite nice, styled a bit like vector graphics. Enjoy it. It doesn’t get more visually interesting than that.
· This is based on a memoir, so no wonder it feels so slight, like a mere leaf floating in an updraft.
Second Opinion?
Revered American critic Roger Ebert thinks this films slow, slight nature is intentional…
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091021/REVIEWS/910219994/1023
Trailer?
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