Driving Lessons - May 12/14/15
PG
Answering an ad for a summer job, quiet 17 year-old Ben Marshall meets aging Dame Evie Walton who’s looking for help about the house. But when she takes him out for a picnic, and then reveals she wants him to drive her to Edinburgh for a speaking tour, Ben is just itching to make some noise.
The pair, who clearly have a lot of history together, work brilliantly side-by-side, Grint’s shy reserve playing hilariously against Walters who’s in fine form as the foul-mouthed aging Dame. Walters relishes the eccentricities of the part, as she always does, and revels in pushing the boundaries of taste without ever alienating her audience. Indeed, Walters may be one of the only actors in the world capable of making an audience fall in love with someone who’s just the other side of sensible.
One of the finest British films of the year, Driving Lessons is a powerful calling card for Grint, who’s just turned 18. Of course, to give the actors all the credit would be to do a disservice to Jeremy Brock, who directs his script for the first time after sticking to the writing on films like Mrs. Brown and Charlotte Gray. There’s a distinct taste of the Richard Curtis school of British filmmaking at play in Driving Lessons, but Brock sides with serious drama over the syrupy variety and that choice goes a long way to making the film what it is; there’s a real substance to the film that’s brilliantly affecting.
Origin: United Kingdom 2006
Director/s: Jeremy Brock
Cast: Rupert Grint, Julie Walters, Laura Linney, Tamsin Egerton, Michelle Duncan
Running Time: 98 minutes
Source/s: Joe Utichi/Rotten Tomatoes
Compiled by: Mark Horner