An Education

I saw An Education over the weekend. I was interested in it because it is getting a lot of Oscar buzz, particularly for the Best Picture and Best Actress (Carey Mulligan) categories. The movie is set in 1960s London. Jenny, 16-year old in her last year of school, meets an older man who shows her how exciting life can be. Jenny has to choose between the seemingly boring life of education at Oxford or the glamorous but mysterious life with her new beau. What will she choose??? (Hint: this movie follows the traditional Hollywood formula)

An Education is a good movie, but certainly not the best that this year has to offer. Carey Mulligan was flawless, the story moved at a good pace, and I felt invested in the characters. However, the movie was too forgettable to win a major award. I felt like I have seen this movie a hundred times. A brilliant student / athlete / musician must choose between the long, hard road of school or the short-cut to a high-paying, glamourous life. Its a fine story, but An Education did not do anything original with the story.

The best part of the movie was Alfred Molina. He was a delight as Jenny's father. It was nice to see him shine in a supporting role and move beyond his Doctor Octopus role from Spider Man2. Have you seen An Education? Are you planning to?