an education movie review new york times

An innocent, a scoundrel, a great film, and a star is born

Carey Mulligan and Peter Sarsgaard in "An Education."

“An Education” tells the story of a 16-year-old girl who is the target of a sophisticated seduction by a 35-year-old man. This happens in 1961, when 16-year-old girls were a great deal less knowing than they are now. Yet the movie isn’t shabby or painful, but romantic and wonderfully entertaining.

It depends on a British actress named Carey Mulligan , who in her first major feature role is being compared by everyone with Audrey Hepburn . When you see her, you can’t think of anyone else to compare her with. She makes the role luminous when it could have been sad or awkward. She has such lightness and grace, you’re pretty sure this is the birth of a star.

All very well and good, you’re thinking, but how is this film a romance? Oh, it’s not so much a romance between the teenager and the middle-aged man. That only advances to the level of an infatuation. It’s a romance between the girl, named Jenny, and the possibilities within her, the future before her, and the joy of being alive. Yes, she sheds a few tears. But she gets better than she gives, and in hindsight, this has been a valuable experience for her.

But wait? Doesn’t this girl have parents? She certainly does. Jack and Marjorie ( Alfred Molina and Cara Seymour ) are proper, traditional middle-class parents in the London suburb of Twickenham, and there’s nothing but love in the home. They aren’t wealthy or worldly, but they wish the best for their girl and are bursting with pride that she’s won a scholarship to Oxford. Then she springs David ( Peter Sarsgaard ) on them.

This is a smooth operator. He sees her standing at a bus stop in the rain, holding her cello case. He offers her a lift in his sports car. He engages her in conversation about classical music. He “happens” to run into her again, and they have a nice chat. He wonders if she might enjoy…

You see how it goes. He opens a door she eagerly wants to enter, to concerts, plays, restaurants, double dates with his fascinating friends, talk about the great world when the boys at school have nothing to say. At some point, it must become clear to her that he intends to sleep with her if he can, but by now she’s thinking that he very possibly can.

I forgot to tell you about her parents. They dote and protect, but are very naive. David is good-looking, well-dressed, well-spoken and very, very polite. He has “taken an interest” in Jenny because, why? He is impressed by this young woman’s mind and enjoys sharing his advantages. He offers implicit guarantees of her safety, and they’re so proud of her, they believe a wealthy older man would be interested for purely platonic motives. They’re innocents. Jenny will be safe with him for a weekend in Paris — because he has an aunt who lives there and will be her chaperone?

Paris! The city embodies Jenny’s wildest dreams! And to see it with a worldly dreamboat like David, instead of going there on the boat-train with a grotty, pimply 17-year-old! Is she cynically taking advantage of David for her own motives? Well, yes. Now close your eyes and remember your teens and tell me you don’t forgive her at least a little.

Part of the genius of “An Education” is that it unfolds this relationship at a deliberate pace. Sarsgaard plays an attractive, intelligent companion. He is careful to keep a distance. Must be a good trout fisherman. To some degree, he’s truthful: He enormously enjoys this smart, pretty girl. He loves walking along the Seine with her. He knows things about the world that she eagerly welcomes.

Yes, he’s also a rotter, a bounder, a cad, a dirty rotten scoundrel. But you can’t get far in any of those trades if you’re not also a charmer. To some degree, Jenny welcomes being deceived. The screenplay by Nick Hornby (“ About a Boy ” and “ High Fidelity “) is based on a memoir by a real person, the British journalist Lynn Barber. It became well-known in the U.K. that when she was 16, she had a two-year affair with a man named Simon in his late 30s.

There are many scene-by-scene parallels between book and movie, and much closely adapted dialogue. We know that Lynn Barber is smart and that she was pretty when she was 16. But her affair wasn’t such a great experience, at least not in its second year. What transforms it in “An Education” is Mulligan, who has that rare gift of enlisting us on her side and making us like her. She’s so lovable that whatever happens must be somehow for Jenny’s benefit. She glows.

So young women, let this movie offer useful advice. When a man seems too good to be true, he probably isn’t — good, or true. We all make mistakes when we’re growing up. Sometimes we learn from them. If we’re lucky, we can even learn during them. And you must certainly see Paris. Do not count on meeting the aunt.

Barber writes: “What did I get from Simon? An education — the thing my parents always wanted me to have… I learned about expensive restaurants and luxury hotels and foreign travel, I learned about antiques and Bergman films and classical music. But actually there was a much bigger bonus than that. My experience with Simon entirely cured my craving for sophistication. By the time I got to Oxford, I wanted nothing more than to meet kind, decent, straightforward boys my own age, no matter if they were gauche or virgins. I would marry one eventually and stay married all my life and for that, I suppose, I have Simon to thank.”

Lynn Barber’s full account: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/jun/07/lynn-barber-virginity-relationships

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

An Education

• Cara Seymour as Marjorie
• Emma Thompson as Headmistress
• Carey Mulligan as Jenny
• Peter Sarsgaard as David
• Alfred Molina as Jack

Directed by

• Lone Scherfig
• Nick Hornby

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Parents' guide to, an education.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 2 Reviews
• Kids Say 10 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Intelligent period drama tackles mature teen topics.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this smart 1960s-set drama written by popular author Nick Hornby explores a teenager's efforts to define her future, which includes making a mess of her well-laid plans -- most notably by becoming involved in a relationship with a sophisticated man nearly twice her age. Virginity, education,…

Why Age 15+?

A man in his 30s courts a 16-year-old virgin. In one scene, he asks to see her b

A 16-year-old smokes French cigarettes (Gauloises). Some social drinking.

“Bloody hell,” “idiot,” and “stupid.”

Car, cigarette, and perfume brands (like Chanel) that evoke luxury are mentioned

A couple argues loudly; two guys pilfer a map from a house and brusquely instruc

Any Positive Content?

The film pits classroom education vs. real-world experiences -- but in the end,

Jenny is admirable in many ways, especially her thirst for knowledge and respect

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A man in his 30s courts a 16-year-old virgin. In one scene, he asks to see her breasts, and she acquiesces -- there’s no nudity, but she's shown opening her blouse. Later, they have sex, though they're only shown after the fact. Some kissing and much flirting. There’s also a somewhat frank discussion about intercourse and a risqué joke about a banana.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Car, cigarette, and perfume brands (like Chanel) that evoke luxury are mentioned or shown.

Violence & Scariness

A couple argues loudly; two guys pilfer a map from a house and brusquely instruct their girlfriends to jump in the car.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

The film pits classroom education vs. real-world experiences -- but in the end, life demands a far more complex solution. Nevertheless, the importance of knowledge-seeking is made very clear, especially in the way it elevates the status of women.

Positive Role Models

Jenny is admirable in many ways, especially her thirst for knowledge and respect for book learning. Realistically for a teenager, she's also impulsive and drawn to what is mysterious and possibly dangerous -- perhaps not literally, but emotionally (she’ll also fib to get what she wants sometimes). Still, she's able to face her mistakes and herself when necessary. Her parents are both permissive and controlling, which contributes to the situation in which she finds herself -- but they clearly love her.

Parents need to know that this smart 1960s-set drama written by popular author Nick Hornby explores a teenager's efforts to define her future, which includes making a mess of her well-laid plans -- most notably by becoming involved in a relationship with a sophisticated man nearly twice her age. Virginity, education, class -- they're all up for discussion and questioning. These are mature themes, but older teens should get a lot out of the movie. There's some sexual content (implied nudity and intercourse, kissing, and some risque discussion), as well as some era-accurate social drinking and smoking. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents say (2)
• Kids say (10)

Based on 2 parent reviews

Wonderful film!!

Only for adults and maybe older teens, what's the story.

Sixteen-year-old Jenny ( Carey Mulligan ) has fixed her sights on Oxford, and her striving dad ( Alfred Molina ) is happy to keep the pressure on until she gets there. Her teacher (Olivia White) believes she has what it takes, and Jenny does, too. But her plans are waylaid when she meets David ( Peter Sarsgaard ), a thirtysomething mystery man who hangs out with a fast crowd that introduces Jenny to a heady world of jazz, high art, fashion, Paris, and passion. How can the world of books compete?

Is It Any Good?

There are quibbles aplenty with AN EDUCATION -- Sarsgaard's wreck of an accent, to start, and a third act that attempts to wrap up too quickly to boot. But neither detracts from the period drama's considerable heft. This is a seriously good film. Nick Hornby , who wrote the screenplay based on a memoir by Lynn Barber, keeps the feel modern despite the 1960s setting (which is gorgeously rendered) with dialogue shot through the heart with essential truths.

And with Mulligan reciting Hornby's words, he can't lose. Watching her navigate the perils of near-adulthood is like an epiphany, and while Sarsgaard's accent is a throwaway, his acting isn't -- few actors can make creepy seem so appealing. Director Lone Scherfig presents London and Paris with a knowing glow -- Jenny is a firefly, and her wings, as we can only expect, will get scalded, if not burned. And yet we can't stop watching.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how the movie portrays teen sexuality . How different do you think that depiction would be if the movie was set today, instead of in the '60s?

What is the movie saying about the value of education? Does book learning always trump real-life adventure, or is life not that simple?

What do you think of Jenny's apparent change-of-heart about pursuingOxford? Why does she seem ready to forgo what she's worked for topursue a fling with a much older man (who may, in fact, not be exactlywho she thinks he is)?

Movie Details

• In theaters : October 9, 2009
• On DVD or streaming : March 30, 2010
• Cast : Alfred Molina , Carey Mulligan , Peter Sarsgaard , Rosamund Pike
• Director : Lone Scherfig
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studio : Sony Pictures Classics
• Genre : Drama
• Run time : 95 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : mature thematic material involving sexual content, and for smoking
• Last updated : July 7, 2022

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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An Education

Where to watch.

Rent An Education on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

What to Know

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.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Lone Scherfig

Peter Sarsgaard

Carey Mulligan

Alfred Molina

Dominic Cooper

Rosamund Pike

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