An Education vs Shakespeare In Love

Jenny is smarter than her classmates, to the point of exasperating her instructors, who hand back tests marked “A+” with a sigh. It’s not that they don’t appreciate Jenny knowing all the answers, it’s just that they wish it was contagious. Jenny is also pretty, and funny, and makes her parents happy. Her idea of rebellion is speaking French too often, or maybe practicing cello when she should be studying. She’s a gem, that Jenny, and she charmed me from the first frames of An Education.

That’s fortunate, because if viewers aren’t charmed by Jenny, then they’ll never believe all the charming she accomplishes in the movie, and they’ll never sympathize when she’s betrayed. Jenny is played by Carey Mulligan, in one of those performances that inspires Oscar predictions and draws comparisons to people like Audrey Hepburn. I’m not sure how long it was into Audrey Hepburn’s career before she became the gold standard for ingénues, but now actresses get one movie to prove their necks are long enough, and that their fake British inflections are cute and not pretentious, before we decide if they’re the next Kate Winslet, or the next up-the-skirt shot on the internet. Sometimes it’s gotta suck to be an actress. Carey Mulligan passes with flying colors. Her accent’s even real. Also, can we can it already with the Audrey Hepburn thing? I’ve seen Mulligan’s picture side-by-side with Hepburn’s for months now. What if she looked like Judi Dench? I mean, that would still make her a good actor, one with a longer career even. I guess it’s not as much fun for bloggers with cut-and-paste skills.

Jenny is stranded after cello rehearsal one rainy day, and is given a ride home by David (Peter Sarsgaard), who appears rich, friendly, too old for Jenny, and because this is a movie, up to no good. She lives right around the corner, though, so their interaction is just cute and brief. But they meet again, and then one evening before a performance, Jenny has a huge bouquet of flowers wishing her luck. Her parents assume they’re from Jenny’s awkward schoolmate, but if they were, would she blush and hide the card like that? Obviously, they’re from David, who eventually invites her on a date.

Soon, he’s taking her out regularly, to restaurants, clubs, museums and the orchestra. David and Jenny often socialize with his friends (Dominic Cooper and Rosamund Pike); they’re nice to Jenny, but are baffled by the idea that she has intellectual pursuits, an eye for art, and of course, her virginity. David is involved in a real estate scheme, and may or may not be an art thief, and obviously the Education he’s going to give Jenny is going to be one of heartbreak. Listen, it’s not a spoiler to say that David’s a cad. He’s played by Peter Sarsgaard. He’s good in the role, but you don’t cast Sarsgaard unless you want undertones of douche.

Jenny’s parents are more cause for concern than David, if you ask me. They nag her about her studies, because it’s important for her to get into Oxford…unless she can find a good husband first. The minute David comes over, Jenny’s folks are as smitten as she, and before long, he’s taking her to Paris for the weekend with their blessing.

Paris is magical for Jenny (and for us. The Audrey Hepburn comparison is annoying, but it’s accurate), but there’s the matter of coming home afterwards, and of finishing her studies, and of what she’ll find in the glove compartment of David’s trendy little car.

An Education is a sweet, smart movie. The final scenes raise more questions than they answer, but I welcome any movie about a teenager not wrapping everything up in a bow. Jenny’s life is changed by one year, but that’s not the end of the story. Maybe she answered those questions later; maybe it would seem trite to throw that much closure into a movie already close to bursting with style, wit and interesting characters. Of the supporting cast, Alfred Molina and Rosamund Pike deserve every bit as much praise as their lead actress. If they’d gotten that mid-movie Hepburn makeover, they might deserve even more.

Throughout An Education, I thought about Shakespeare in Love. Like An Education, it’s lighter than air, but not because there isn’t anything to it. Shakespeare in Love has hidden depths, and touches on themes about art, love, gender roles and the ways the powerful view the creative. It’s got a beautiful ingénue in her first leading role, an esteemed actress in a movie-stealing cameo (Shakespeare in Love has Judi Dench, An Education has Emma Thompson), it’s nice to look at, it’s funny, it won too many awards. That’s really the only beef I’ve ever heard about Shakespeare in Love. I’ve never heard anyone say it’s not good; I only hear that Saving Private Ryan should have won the Oscar. For my money, Shakespeare in Love didn’t deserve the Oscar, but only because it should have gone to The Truman Show, or A Simple Plan, or Out of Sight, none of which were nominated. Saving Private Ryan has a problem with Shakespeare in Love, it can get in line.

Perhaps instead of Audrey Hepburn, Carey Mulligan could go side-by-side with Gwyneth Paltrow. They have a similar appeal, I think, especially in their first big roles. Will Mulligan end up weeping and clutching a statue next year? Probably not. Like her character, this is the year she learns everything, but her true potential is in the future.

An Education: A-

Shakespeare in Love: B+