Saturday, January 9, 2010

An Education (Bob says 4 out of 4)

1. Did I enjoy it? YES
I love movie titles that have more than one meaning behind them. An Education is one of them. Jenny Miller has high aspirations for herself. She's a good student and hopes to attend Oxford University upon graduation. One day she's given a ride home by a middle aged man named David Goldman. Jenny finds David very charming, especially when he uses this charm to persuade Jenny's parents to allow him to take her to concerts, clubs and eventually to Paris. I don't know any parents who would let a man in his early thirties take their seventeen year-old daughter anywhere, but these parents do. They are persuaded the culture and a presumably well-off man like David is a good thing for her. Jenny is swept away in this new world until she witnesses David and his friend Dominic steal expensive belongings from a house up for sale. She has second thoughts but is so enamored with her new life that she is willing to overlook this and the concerns from her teacher and principal at school. Jenny receives an education outside of the classroom that she will never forget. Whether she decides to abandon her potential inside the classroom I will not reveal here, but there is a twist at the end that Jenny never sees coming. This is a great film that hasn't been seen by that many people, but I encourage you to find a theater that's playing it while you have a chance. It's worth your while.

2. Would I watch it again? YES
Peter Sarsgaard has had a very good year, though the general public has overlooked this film and the disturbing horror film Orphan. I continue to enjoy seeing him in films, he makes very good choices with the roles he picks and doesn't sell out to appear in the latest blockbuster. I would certainly not mind seeing this film again.

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