Educating Rita (1983)

At first,ye,ye Julie Walters is a working class woman,awkward husband who doesn't want her to go to tutorials with Tutor Michael Caine.Then she becomes too knowledgeable nd know it all,distancing her from the prof.Yep sums up the film.Yet I watched it in silence,and it hurt.Her flatmate Trish saying'when there is no poetry and music it's just me,and that's not enough'.It was a bit close for comfort,yes it's a funny film,but the quandary Rita ends up in is too true.But as she says'at least I have the choice'.Lifes what you make it I suppose. I think if there is any film too watch that you can genuinely learn from,this is the one. Eleanor

Alcoholic professor tutors a working class woman who aspires to become educated. It's based on a play and it shows. Most of the film is devoted to conversations between Caine as the self-pitying professor and Walters as the uncultured but enthusiastic student. While some of the dialog is interesting, much of it is mundane and repetitive and the film quickly runs out of steam. Caine is fine, but the film belongs to Walters. Repeating her stage role, Walters is delightfully vivacious in her film debut. The only problem is that her accent is so thick that those who are not British may have to strain to understand what she is saying.

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 and adorable Julie Walters. She is dazzling and thoroughly likable 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 in "Harry Potter," is so young and pretty and lights up the screen with her charisma. Recommended.

When you watch the film entitled "Educating Rita" you might try superimposing similar films like My Fair Lady. The basis for them is similar. Here we have Dr. Frank Bryant (Michael Caine) as a surly, boozy English professor who encounters Rita (Julie Walters) a young housewife dreaming of being part of the educated university crowd who are able to discuss English writers and poets with a certain flair and panache. Rita who changes her name to Susan, views them with secret envy and desires to be accepted as one of them. Her husband on the other hand, wants nothing more than to have Rita bear his children and thinks Rita should be satisfied with being a commoner. However, once convinced Rita is sincere, Bryant does his best to develop her abilities which surprising enough are considerable. What Rita does not know and which Caine tries to warn her of, is that her basic grasp of English Writers is innocently superior to the soggy, established and often mundane approaches accepted by the collegial crowd. Nevertheless, Rita ignores his advice and slowly morphs into her ideal while attempting to reform her teacher, a failed poet who wants nothing more than to accept his status of being a 'fixture' in his marriage and the arena of academics. This is a great film for Caine and fun for anyone who dreams of being someone else. ***