An Education | Rotten Tomatoes

An Education

PG-13

Released Oct 9, 2009

1h 40m

Drama

List

93%

198 Reviews

Tomatometer

80%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Despite her sheltered upbringing, Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is a teen with a bright future; she's smart, pretty, and has aspirations of attending Oxford University. When David (Peter Sarsgaard), a charming but much older suitor, motors into her life in a shiny automobile, Jenny gets a taste of adult life that she won't soon forget.

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Critics Consensus

Though the latter part of the film may not appeal to all, An Education is a charming coming-of-age tale powered by the strength of relative newcomer Carey Mulligan's standout performance.

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Gertrude F

Heartwarming, then disturbing. An excellent exploration of a young girls desires, love, manipulation, and loss of ones self in the face of all this. Carey Mulligan is brilliant, along with the rest of the cast. I didn't know what to feel by the end of it. There's no sugarcoating or dramatising, which is why it works so well.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/24/24

Full Review

David W

An Education features an exceptionally talented cast, a realistically disturbing premise, and a well-delivered storyline. Carey Mulligan delivers a breakthrough performance while Rosamund Pike is characteristically transcending in her supporting role. I would absolutely watch this again.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/22/24

Full Review

Ronnie K

"An Education" is a great film to watch. There is not a single dull moment or scene throughout. However, the plot is quite predictable and the dialogue is enticing. Unfortunately, the ending feels cliché.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/24/23

Full Review

Keith W

A lovely, sensitive, coming of age film. Beautifully played by a young Carey Mulligan with a strong supporting cast. Full marks all round!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/28/23

Full Review

Leaburn O

Really enjoyed this rare thing, a decent British film. It was turning into a real standout until the final fifteen minutes when unfortunately the i's were dotted and the t's were crossed a bit too cleanly. Bought this one on DVD for £1 and it is a decent one to have in the collection.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/26/23

Full Review

Farah R

While the relationship between Jenny and David might make viewers uncomfortable, Carey Mulligan's electrifying performance adds maturity to her character on her journey into adulthood, which is well worth watching as the movie progresses. An Education is an intriguing character study that often feels real but can be tedious and uninteresting with the mundane events of a small English family in the 60s.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/25/23

Full Review

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Lone Scherfig

Director

Peter Sarsgaard

David

Carey Mulligan

Jenny

Alfred Molina

Jack

Dominic Cooper

Danny

Rosamund Pike

Helen

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Wendy Ide

Times (UK)

Adapted by Nick Hornby from a memoir by Lynn Barber, this is an enjoyably bracing portrait of a romantic misadventure.

Sep 18, 2023

Full Review

Deborah Ross

The Spectator

This is a nostalgically elegant, comically restrained, cleverly scripted film which, in parts, is also extremely moving.

Aug 30, 2018

Full Review

Kate Stables

Sight & Sound

One of the chief pleasures of Lone Scherfig's crisply confident and charmingly comic coming-of-age drama is in seeing a teenage girl kick against the pricks for a change.

Jul 6, 2018

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Carey Mulligan’s breakthrough performance in An Education deserves the affection it’s getting and serves as the film’s easiest selling point.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 22, 2023

Full Review

Yasmin Omar

Harper's Bazaar

Soundtracked by the sensuous jazz of the Swinging Sixties, the film is at once stylish and soul-searching, a thoughtful meditation on the pitfalls of grasping for adulthood too soon.

Rated: 5/5

Jun 25, 2021

Full Review

David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

It is spoiled ... by a rather predictable script and a conventional denouement, and the narrow outlook to which it seems to subscribe.

Feb 13, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

Despite her sheltered upbringing, Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is a teen with a bright future; she's smart, pretty, and has aspirations of attending Oxford University. When David (Peter Sarsgaard), a charming but much older suitor, motors into her life in a shiny automobile, Jenny gets a taste of adult life that she won't soon forget.

Director: Lone Scherfig
Producer: David M. Thompson, Jamie Laurenson, Nick Hornby, James D. Stern, Douglas E. Hansen
Screenwriter: Nick Hornby
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: BBC
Rating: PG-13 (Sexual Content|Mature Thematic Material|Smoking)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 9, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.6M
Runtime: 1h 40m

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