Very interesting film until the final act, which unfortunately flat lines and becomes lazy and rushed. Worth a watch.

Really fun, excellently made coming-of-age film. Mulligan was excellent; she seemed too old for the age she was portraying, but I suppose that was partly the point. And Sarsgaard was as perfect as ever. The ending brought it down a little, but still a great movie.

85.250

I enjoyed this film to a point. But I found the ending quite offensive which ruined the film for me. Carey Mulligan is very likeable though. I always knew she was going to be a star ever since she starred in a Doctor Who episode back in 2007.

The plot's a cynical/sentimental rip-off of Flaubert's novel Sentimental Education, yet full of commercial calculation -- including Scherfig's romantic view of the Paris assignation.

Rather charming, nicely shot cautionary tale that has too many clichés, has too little to say about most of its characters, and falters big-time in the third act. The totally misjudged, tacked-on narration at the end sums up its problems quite well. At its center, though, is a truly revelatory performance by Mulligan, who elevates the film hugely and more than deserved her Oscar nom; in fact, despite the borderline mediocrity of the film, I think I would've been perfectly fine with her winning.

I was really thinking it was going to be a cliché (it's just a bit, but not the way I was thinking) and happy film. But it's not! And that makes it awesome, an european film in its best form. Great message and soundtrack. There's no smoke without the fire.

+ recommended :: great title

Wtf, this movie had so much potential....

Beginning as a simple coming-of-age comedy, film unexpectedly becomes a mature, perceptive meditation on the pros and cons of higher education, the role of women in 60s Britain, and a tasteful exploration of the February-June relationship between Mulligan and reliably wonderful Sarsgaard. Molina is excellent as Mulligan's naive father, Williams terrific as a repressed teacher, Thompson wonderful in cameo as stern headmistress. Far more complex than the first half hour would have you believe.

A very polished and delightful presentation of an unfortunately formulaic premise. I had a lot of fun watching this, but the last half hour had me reevaluating how I actually felt about it. Even if I disagree with some of its choices, it's still fun and funny.

Mulligan is superb and lives up to the hype. The movie is well-acted, well-written and tightly directed. I thought the themes were still relevant and would resonate well with anyone who feels trapped or impatient to experience something beyond the confines of what is expected. With no cardboard villains or heroes, the movie feels a lot more realistic than other coming-of-age films. Interesting and memorable.

"The emotional maturity of a sheltered teen in post-war austerity Britain is thoroughly tested in An Education." - Ryan Stewart

This film is relevant to my life. And it's beautifully directed.

Such a threadbare cliche!

I'll admit that I was pretty engaged by this film as it was superbly written and has some great performances from a terrific ensemble cast and despite gender differences, I totally related to Carey Mulligan's character. Which made it all the more disappointing when the ending came and really ruined it for me. It's basically a film version of being lectured about education and the upper class system by your eldest aunt.

I'm sick of people talking about how great Carey Mulligan is. She's the British version of Zooey Deschanel. I guess a deer in the headlights look an entire film makes an actress great now a days... Other than that, CMonster's review hit it on the nail.

Beautifly acted by all the leading people. We get to see the story about a young schoolgirl, set in the lovely and typical Brittish style of the 60's. The story is about much more than the education itself really. We get to see young girls coping with school, desperate for wealth and what happens when this is within reach. Betrayel, belief and love, this film has got it all.