Educating Rita

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Tyler S I'd like to give it 3 1/2 stars. I watched it when it originally came out and was very impressed with both Caine and Waters, individually and together. I rewatched it recently and found the first hour+ just as good as I remembered it. They are both very funny and believable in their respective roles as the world-weary scholar and the plainspoken, ambitious cockney student looking to rise above her working-class roots. The idea that the professor whom the student believes has everything one could want in life actually envies her ability to view the world without the preconceptions of the academic is refreshing and thought provoking. Unfortunately, the last part of the movie, in which Rita becomes "educated" and begins to shed her attachment to her mentor, wears a little thin. Caine's character reacts badly to Rita's growth and descends into self-pity. The script fails to make that change very interesting and doesn't take advantage of Caine's great acting skill. Still, I recommend it, even it fails to live up to its original promise, if for no other reason than the lively interplay between two excellent actors. There's plenty of witty exchanges, humor and pathos, which I only wish could have extended throughout the film. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/23/25 Full Review Jim M Shakespearien in depth and delivery. This story takes the two tragedy models: fate and character flaw, and delivers a deeply introspective take on human desire for meaning. It is sensitive to all walks of life and gives you a look through the eyes of a young woman who is captured in a culture where she is successful, but has an itch that there may just be something more than the role she plays. She pairs herself with a professor for whom all roles have left him feeling empty and whom only alcohol and the odd affair dull the pain. They walk down this path together and both discover what they could not have foretold. This is a fantastic movie and both it and the play upon which it is based are among my favorites of all time. Walters and Caine are magic. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/20/25 Full Review Alec B The intimacy of the play is ruined by the film's pointless expansion of it's world (who cares about anyone else except for Rita and Frank?) so even though Walters and Caine give excellent performances all of the potentially interesting themes get lost in boring secondary material. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 11/10/23 Full Review isla s I thought this was a really good film, with important themes and I liked that both of the main characters were flawed in their own ways. I also liked learning about their partners and friends. If I were to be critical, I'd say it did feel slightly formulaic towads the end - however it is over 30 years old (and it does sound quite dated as far as the music/soundtrack is concerned, which I suppose is to be expected) but I liked it in terms of the elements of social commentary it contained. I felt I could relate to Rita in some respects and I also understood where the tutor, Frank Bryant, was coming from. The performances from the big name cast members (regarding Frank Bryant played by Michael Caine and Rita, played by Julie Walters) was very good and I thought it was a well made film, a thought provoking one. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Ethan T Educating Rita is predictable and horrendously scored by Hentschel in a distracting blare of synths, albeit in true 80s style. Walters and Caine keep things afloat admirably, but their scenes together dwarf all of theirs apart and the minor characters are quite dull. Based on a play. I think that many of the film's charms remain thanks to the stage adaptation and in spite of the additional features such as the soundtrack that have aged poorly. I must say, though, that the transformation of Rita from novice to near-genius was glossed over to a strange extent and that Walters did not really play the middle stages at all. Caine dips in well and clearly relishes his busy character arc apart from a recurring storyline with his wife that seems unsure whether to play for laughs or tug on the heartstrings. Perhaps it would be a stretch to call Educating Rita a timeless classic, but it's harmless enough to trundle peacefully on as Caine and Walters deservedly retain recognition for other works despite getting awards attention for this back in the day. Special mention must go to the ending that struck a satisfyingly hollow chord considering the flawed nature of the characters rather than chasing something silly. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/29/21 Full Review Audience Member Poor Frank. There's no sentimental ending, some good twists, some dusty bookshelves and a broken middle aged man. It's a decent storyline and ages ok. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Educating Rita

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