Omitting An Education

In an earlier post I listed, and reviewed, my Top Ten Films of 2009. I felt pretty confident about my list to be quite honest. That is, until viewing An Education last night (thank you Redbox!). This film was quite excellent, and deserved to be on my top ten list list.

The highlight of this film for me was the emergence of a future Hollywood star, the effervescent Carey Mulligan. Oft compared to Audrey Hepburn, and coincidentally slated to star in a remake of My Fair Lady, Mulligan hit a hole in one (golf players got the pun while the remainder of my loyal readers are looking up the word mulligan on google) with her portrayal of Jenny, the precocious, yet naive, London teenager who seeks a life beyond the mundane. With a smile that lights both the screen and the viewer's heart, Mulligan is destined for future Oscar nominations, and I predict an Oscar. While she and fellow nominee Gabourey Sidibe both felt honored to be nominated at such an early stage in their career, both turned in performances that were worthy of winning the Oscar. Now that I think about it, there are similarities with the two characters they played, and both actresses captured the essence, particularly the strength, of their character.

The strength of the supporting cast should be mentioned as well. Sarsgaard, Williams, and Thompson all brought depth to their roles, but for my money Molina was the supporting star of the film. It's hard to believe this is the same actor who played Doc Ock. At times embarassing and almost unloveable, your heart brakes with his during the latter portion of the film (No spoilers, so I'll say no more!).

Nick Hornby, the film's screenwriter, received an Oscar nomination for adapting Lynn Barber's memoir. (Spolier Alert ahead ... so quit reading and jump to the next paragraph). The script unfortunately failed to gain momentum in the final act, especially when comparing it to Up in the Air. I only make the comparison because in both films, the protagonist's love interest ends up being married. While Up in the Air caught me totally off guard, I knew something was amiss with Sarsgaard's character.

While this film would definitely make my top ten, as it did the Oscar nominee list for Best Picture, I would hesitate to place the film in my top five. However, I highly suggest you becoming educated and view this film.