Stories of personal transformation have enduring appeal, maybe because at times most everyone has a desire to remake themselves in a better mold, and it is inspiring to see examples of people who have successfully done this. So, it is hard to resist the premise of "Educating Rita" that has Rita, a young woman from Liverpool, enrolling in Open University evening sessions with literature professor Dr. Frank Bryant.
The story has much potential; in Rita's pursuit to become more intellectually accomplished, she excites new life in the alcoholic and burned-out Bryant. However, as charming as it is, the story required more suspension of disbelief than I was capable of. I felt that Rita was a little too dumb at the start to wind up as polished as she was at the end, given the amount of work that she appeared to have done. She was meeting with Bryant once a week, working full-time, establishing friendships, dealing with a marital separation, and so forth. Where she found time to study all of the books and poems discussed is hard to figure. I never saw evidence of the hard hours of work required to get to where she wound up. Although showing someone reading a book is not high drama, a skilled director should be able to convey in some convincing way the long, difficult hours of study required by a significant intellectual endeavor. I fear that the message that you can achieve goals if you simply want them enough is becoming all too prevalent and causing much ultimate disappointment.
Given the screenplay, Caine and Walters play their parts with skill and charm. They have many good scenes together, especially later in the film where they are interacting more as equals. I found the music often heavy-handed and intrusive.
This is entertaining enough, but with the talent available it could have been much better.
The story has much potential; in Rita's pursuit to become more intellectually accomplished, she excites new life in the alcoholic and burned-out Bryant. However, as charming as it is, the story required more suspension of disbelief than I was capable of. I felt that Rita was a little too dumb at the start to wind up as polished as she was at the end, given the amount of work that she appeared to have done. She was meeting with Bryant once a week, working full-time, establishing friendships, dealing with a marital separation, and so forth. Where she found time to study all of the books and poems discussed is hard to figure. I never saw evidence of the hard hours of work required to get to where she wound up. Although showing someone reading a book is not high drama, a skilled director should be able to convey in some convincing way the long, difficult hours of study required by a significant intellectual endeavor. I fear that the message that you can achieve goals if you simply want them enough is becoming all too prevalent and causing much ultimate disappointment.
Given the screenplay, Caine and Walters play their parts with skill and charm. They have many good scenes together, especially later in the film where they are interacting more as equals. I found the music often heavy-handed and intrusive.
This is entertaining enough, but with the talent available it could have been much better.