Customer Reviews

Educating Rita

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

DVD was in mint condition when I received. Came exactly as expected. The movie is well done and is comedic at times. Good for a laugh.

Educating Rita is a kick, with a wonderful performance from Julie Walters at its heart. Michael Caine, too, is perfectly cast as a poet long since turned to the bottle. Watching those two play off of one another is good fun; they breathe life into the pat writing. When the story wanders out to follow either character out in the world, the minor characters are much less well rounded. (She has a loutish cockney husband and family, he has intellectual friends who bring wine to parties. Surprised?)

If you understand the basic outline of the plot here -- cockney young woman trying to raise herself in charmingly spirited fashion, professor in his cups who finds the upstart refreshing -- you aren't going to be surprised by where the story goes. Educating Rita does handle all the likely turns with grace, though, and that lets you concentrate on appreciating the acting. The movie's very watchable and has a good heart.

Rita White (Julie Walters) is a spunky, 26-year old working class woman who wants to improve her lot. She enrolls in a special Open University class and meets with her tutor, Frank (Michael Caine) once a week to study great literature. Frank, who spends his days in an alcoholic haze, is at first intrigued and later enthralled with the outspoken Rita.

This is a wonderful showcase for the talented Julie Walters, who carries the film on her young and petite shoulders. She is dazzling and thoroughly likeable and every word spoken in her thick Liverpool accent rings honest and true. Caine lets her shine by downplaying Frank, who is hopelessly morose and more than a bit lazy. Both were rightly nominated for best acting Oscars.

The inevitable transformation/ improvement of both characters is sweet and uplifting without being overly-sentimental. Walters, best known these days as the matronly Mrs. Weasley, is quite young and attractive and lights up the screen with her charisma. Recommended.

Educating Rita was introduced to me when practice teaching in a grade 12 Religion class. It was used to illustrate the necessity of exploring oneself in order to find true happiness. This is exactly what happened in the story. The shipping was quick. It came 2 days after I ordered it. I would recommend consulting amazon for purchasing Dvds and Cds to anyone looking for something hard to find in stores or even just to compare pricing.

At last this wonderful film comes out on DVD. I have waited so long for this moment. This is a film that looks good, sounds good and has too many memorable moments to mention. From the first time Rita appears on the screen until the very last scene, it is a film to be savoured like a good red wine.

Julie Walters and Michael Caine are brilliant in this timeless comedy. The plot avoids the all too easy romantic angle to show the empowering aspect of education in a woman's life. Referring to her future, Rita emphasizes her freedom from anyone else's ability to rule her life, whether husband or teacher, emphasizing, "I'll choose." I wish this was on DVD. The soundtrack by Tangerine Dream is the only thing that really dates it.

Because of this film, I'll never view Mrs. Weasley in Harry Potter the same again. Julie Walters is one of the great masters of character development.

No one can play a world-weary, boozy burnout as well as Michael Caine. Well, maybe Michael Douglas (Wonder Boys) is sneaking up on him, but still. In Educating Rita, Caine has his hands full with Julie Walters, playing a Cockney hairdresser who is dead set on getting "an edjacation." She's a gum-chewing, short-skirted, sassy-mouthed trollop, and he's a...well, he's mostly out of his depth when in her presence.
It's a feel-good movie that lives up to its expectations and has managed to stand the test of time.

I am a GCSE student at Great Marlow School, and we started reading Educating Rita (the play), and our teacher said the school had a copy of the video if we wished to watch it. I was a bit sceptical at first, but after awhile i got into it and kept asking my teacher if we could watch some more.
This movie is great, i reccomend it to anybody who loves a good laugh!

"Educating Rita", directed by Lewis Gilbert, is an overlooked gem of a film. Based on a London stage play, "Educating Rita" (a copy of which is sold by Amazon.co.uk for those who are interested) is the story of a 27-year old middle class London hairdresser/housewife (Julie Walters, in a convincing, touching performance) who, before having children, would like very much to learn about herself. Much to the annoyance of her husband, she enrolls in an "open university" literature course to begin her journey (open university is the British term for college night courses). Assigned as her tutor is Frank (Michael Caine, in his deservedly award-winning role), an older literature professor who suffers from low self esteem and has his own relationship problems.

But no, this movie is not what you would "typically" expect that storyline to be like. The feel of the movie is very play like -- fans of Glengarry or Death of a Salesman or movies of such ilk would immediately identify.

Had this film been made in the glam throes of Hollywood, Rita and Frank would have hit the sack within two scenes of meeting each other (and it would have been graphic, of course), then realized they were in love, followed by the inevitable obstacle to their relationship (probably a misunderstanding or rival for affections), finally ending up with them overcoming all. Every character and plot point would have been telegraphed well in advance. "Educating Rita" does none of this. There are no graphic sex scenes (or any sex scenes for that matter), no grand pronouncements of love, no cliche cliffhangers or deaths in icy seas. Instead, the story portrays Rita and Frank in a very realistic, human manner. As the story unfolds, we watch as they grow as individuals which causes their friendship to become richer. There are turns to the plot which are unexpected. I will not divulge what the end result is, as it is very unconventional and is sure to bring a lump to the throat of any romantic.

Quite simply, "Educating Rita" is a very overlooked excellent character study framed by a wonderful story. One of my all time romantic favorites. Definitely your rental dollar well spent.

Educating Rita is truly a joy from start to finish. Willy Russell's fantastic adaptation of his own successful stage play is firmly complimented by the divine suitability of Michael Caine and the golden Julie Walters in the lead roles. Julie Walters plays a sassy, street-smart, working-class heroine who is desperate to better herself though has obstacles thrown in her path as her husband fails to share Walters gutsy enthusiasm in making a better life for herself. Michael Caine turns up in one of his greatest roles yet as the drunken teacher who quickly succumbs to Walters down-to-earth charms. There is great feeling between Caine and Walters and both seemingly play off each other. Walters gets to deliver the funniest lines with her sharp, witty outlook on life though is given ample opportunity to display her true powerful range of acting abilities as does Caine. Both put in concentrated performances and approach their roles perfectly. They are given noble support from some fine British actors/esses such as Michael Williams as Brian who is secretly having a sordid affair with Caines wife and Maureen Lipman as the loveably eccentric Trish who's performance is vastly effective. A superb and unique film that sticks closely to the play and never overplays its hand. A true British comedy-drama masterpiece.