An Education
By Marshall Fine
Rating:
Who's in it: Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina
What's it about: A teen-age girl in pre-Beatles London falls for a much older man.
Blossoming: In early 1960s London, Jenny (Mulligan), who longs for a more exciting life than she has, finds herself being courted by David (Sarsgaard), a guy in his 30s with a semi-shady line of work. But he beguiles her parents and introduces her to an adult world of jazz bars and concerts that offers the sophistication her own life lacks. Director Lone Scherfig, working from a script by Nick Hornby ("About a Boy"), finds the right blend of comedy, romance and regret in a story about a young woman discovering her own potential, even as she makes missteps. Newcomer Mulligan gives an Oscar-ready performance as a girl who finds practicality is no match for an experienced man's practiced lines. And Sarsgaard is seductive in a wormy way.
Long story short: She gets a life lesson that will fascinate audiences.
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