AN EDUCATION

(PG-13)

It's London in the swinging 60's..but it's also a pretty depressing London, houses and even people conforming to a certain drab look. One 16-year-old girl dreams of escape..she longs for sophistication, glamour and anything French. Based on the novel by Lynn Barber, the movie has us following Jenny (Carey Mulligan) as she searches for a way to become a cool adult..quickly! Mullligan is wonderful to watch, her face open and excited by new experiences and people. Unfortunately, she also seems too old for the part, playing a 16-year-old at the age of 23. The freshness and gawky self-conciousness is not there, so that her adventures seem too easy and predictable. She blends too easily into her mentor and lover, the older and mysterious Davie (Peter Sarsgaard). The screenplay was adapted by one of our best writers, Nick Hornby. Rent the best film Hugh Grant ever made, written by Hornby..About a Boy. In Kinsey and Shattered Glass, two remarkable films of a few years ago, Sarsgaard reminds us of his ability to convey cynicism and humor at the same time as cool detachement. But this movie will play fine on DVD, a good ride through a young girl's awakening with Carey Mulligan causing buzz as a contender for newcomer of the year.

TO SEE RIGHT NOW: CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY, A SERIOUS MAN, WHIP IT, TOY STORY 2, JULIE AND JULIA, BRIGHT STAR, COCO BEFORE CHANEL