I found this movie to be engaging and well acted.The heroine is simply looking for a way to grow up fast and demonstrate how much smarter and more enlightened she THINKS she is than her parents and teachers.To it's credit,the film kept forays into adulthood subtle and implied,rather than blatant and jolting. The exhilarations,discoveries and disappointments are poignantly conveyed. Performances that were sufficiently large and,conversely,understated where they needed to be accomplished this. Too bad that teenage girls aren't the targeted demo,because I think they would see alot of truth here. Not award winning,but enjoyable and worth my money at least one more time for discreet handling of what could have been a lurid tale. Exceptional acting on some parts

No gimmicks here,just a freshly discreet coming of age tale.Mulligan and Molina are not to be missed. Took mom and gf as an apology for missing an earlier dinner with them. Was planning on sleeping! Did not happen. An Education is a film we can all learn from,and takes me back to when my mom made me watch old movies with her and you had to actually pay attention and there was a real story. Both women totally related to the girl's emotions and dreams and attitudes. Do go. Definitely worth the money for serious filmgoers

Sarsgaard's 30 something David is an unlikely match for Mulligan's charming, precocious but naive 16 year old Jenny. She is drawn to him in spite of her better instincts. And her father, played so well by Alfed Mollina, is taken in along with his wife by David. A terrific supporting cast creates Jenny's mother and David's beautiful but not unreasonably honest friends. The love affair is believeable and tenderly played. Jenny's educational path to Oxford suffers from the street smarts she gains with David. She is [BLOCKED WEBSITE]pelling character, intelligent, articulate, and very pretty. So viewers are easily swept into the world of adult play along with her. A blonde femme fatale vocalist provides a siren call to the party. When crisis comes, David's commitment to Jenny seems displayed in his anguish. Her education comes at a price much higher than her father could anticipate. Audiences will empathize with her suffering, be satisfied with her resilience and enjoy this movie a great deal.

In a nutshell - a very pleasant surprise ! Carey Mulligan is outstanding and most definitely worth seeing. A sophisticated coming-of-age movie about a very intelligent, mature beyond her years 17 year old high school girl set in a London suburb in 1961. The only child of a well intentioned but borderline abusive parents who are forcing her on a track to Oxford essentially to find a husband. Fortunately Jenny has too much intelligence and spunk to take this unthinking direction without comments. And comment she does - the best scene being with Emma Thompson, the domineering headmistress who cannot answer Jenny's simple question of Why go to Oxford ? It 's a great scene. Jenny meets an older man who is the spark to the bonfire within Jenny just waiting to explode onto the world at large and Paris in particular. Overall a great movie, well acted and definitely worth seeing.

Without a doubt you will see An Education nominated for best screenplay (at the very least) at the 2009 Academy Awards, Nick Hornby has truly outdone himself in this latest romantic endeavor, a true dramedy that leaves you enthralled.