Education, An

Synopsis
Author Nick Hornby turns from novels to screenplays with this talent-driven drama. Carey Mulligan (BLEAK HOUSE) stars as Jenny, a young woman full of promise and intent to study at Oxford. But meeting an older man (Peter Sarsgaard) leads Jenny to believe that she can learn things outside the classroom, casting doubt on her future plans. Directed by ITALIAN FOR BEGINNERS’ Lone Scherfig, AN EDUCATION also stars Alfred Molina, Rosamunde Pike, Dominic Cooper, Olivia Williams, and Emma Thompson.

Reviews
"Topped by a fine cast, a first-rate script by Nick Hornby and tight direction by Lone Scherfig, the film is a smart, moving but not inaccessible entry in the coming-of-age canon." (Hollywood Reporter)

"AN EDUCATION offers a thrilling new star and remarkable actress in Carey Mulligan..." (Rolling Stone)

“[A] wonderfully fresh and original coming-of-age tale....[T]he director, Lone Scherfig and the screenwriter, the incomparable Nick Hornby, have created a classic star-is-born occasion for a young English actress named Carey Mulligan.” (Wall Street Journal)

3.5 stars out of 4 -- "[A] quiet miracle of a movie....Prepared to be wowed by Carey Mulligan, whose sensational, starmaking performance as Jenny ignited film festivals from Sundance to Toronto." (Rolling Stone)

4 stars out of 5 -- "It's virtually flawless with perfect and precise screenwriting, direction, production, costume design and soundtrack, and the ensemble cast is ideal." (Box Office)

3.5 stars out of 4 -- "Through stellar performances, clever writing and exquisite cinematography, the story is fresh and thoroughly captivating." (USA Today)

"[A] transporting, ruefully tender coming-of-age drama....The movie, in a palette of cloudy blues, is adapted from a vivid memoir by British journalist Lynn Barber..." (Entertainment Weekly)

"Ms. Mulligan, who is 24, has a way of endearing herself with little more than a lilting phrase....It's her own way, and she's her own special edition of a dazzling new star." (Wall Street Journal)

4 stars out of 4 -- "Romantic and wonderfully entertaining....What transforms AN EDUCATION is Mulligan, who has that rare gift of enlisting us on her side and making us like her." (Chicago Sun-Times)

"[A] sprightly and slippery new film adapted from a short, sharp memoir by the British journalist Lynn Barber..." (New York Times)

"AN EDUCATION is brutally candid about class in ways that never feel didactic or heavy-handed. It captures with tenderness and wit the exquisite ache of growing up..." -- Grade: A- (A.V. Club)

"The British actress Carey Mulligan delivers a quietly astonishing performance in AN EDUCATION, a beguiling little film..." (Washington Post)

4 stars out of 5 -- [With] compassionate direction from Lone Scherfig, terrific period detail and, above all, a spectacularly winning turn from newcomer Carey Mulligan in the lead role -- AN EDUCATION is a constant delight." (Total Film)

Included in Los Angeles Times's "Best Films Of 2009" -- "A smart, sophisticated coming-of-age story...beautifully captured..." (Los Angeles Times)

Ranked #4 in Rolling Stone's "The 10 Best Movies Of 2009" -- "Lone Scherfig mines a great Nick Hornby script for every wickedly crafted nuance." (Rolling Stone)