An Education (2009)

I think that a movie's quality is like a bridge supported by three pillars: cast, direction and script. When one of the pillars is weaker than the others, the bridge stands if they others are strong enough. When all of the pillars are weak, the bridge is washed away and no one misses it.

An Education is very nearly washed away; the plot is unsurprising and direction is unnoticeable. However, the cast is so strong that it turns An Education into a bridge that is so strong that you can jump up and down on it and yell to your friends, "HEY! THIS IS AN AWESOME BRIDGE, COME AND SEE IT FOR YOURSELVES!"

While old standbys like Alfred Molina and Emma Thompson are excellent in their roles as an upwardly ambitious father and an uptight schoolmaster, the movie belongs to Peter Sarsgaard and especially Carey Mulligan. As a bright young student, groomed for success at Oxford, she feels incredibly authentic in a way that characters in coming-of-age stories rarely do. As the English gentleman that seduces Mulligan and her family, Peter Sarsgaard turns the charm up so high that the audience, like the characters in play, can ignore the fact that hey, he's a total creep.

Cost/Benefit Analysis: I payed a full $10 for this one and regret nothing. It is definitely worth a rent at least.