Learning to Drive (2014)

Such a frustrating disappointment

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

An uncomplicated view of how and why people should abandon false hopes and assumptions about sex, race and privilege. We're all in life together.

I'm not a professional reviewer, just an honest viewer. It seems like the writer of this story heard some poor refugee immigrant's tragic story, threw it in the bowl of obvious stereotypes and social issues, and then couldn't keep away from the good-old barque sauce to over-westernize it.Ben Kingsley's acting and accent are actually offensive. I used to like him before this. Other than that, the movie is rushed and the message is definitely spoiled in the oversimplified example of facing your fears and trying something new.

Unless you have taken a driver's test to get your motorist's license, you probably won't appreciate the trials that the heroine endures in "Elegy" director Isabel Coixet's "Learning to Drive" co-starring Ben Kingsley. This entertaining culture clash comedy about a Manhattan book critic who struggles to obtain a driving license after her husband divorces her after 21-years of marriage and the Sikh college professor from India who fled from his native land, sought political asylum, and teaches her is refreshingly down to earth. Everything about "Learning to Drive" is believable and the characters are sympathetic. Statistics indicate that fewer young people are buying automobiles today. Furthermore, people who live in major metropolitan cities where public transportation is readily available have little use for cars. Nevertheless, Wendy Shields (Patricia Clarkson of "Dirty Harry: The Dead Pool") needs to get a driving license so she can visit her daughter Tasha (Grace Gummer of "Margin Call") in Vermont where she is working on a farm. Initially, Wendy is reluctant to get behind the wheel, but Darwan Singh Tur (Ben Kingsley of "Iron Man 3") convinces her to take a ride around in his Drivers' Ed car. When she starts cruising around the Big Apple, Wendy has little idea what she is doing behind the wheel of a car. She sets out to conquer her fear of heights, primarily by driving across a bridge that Singh Tur assures her it is nothing more than a road in the sky. During the course of her driving education, Wendy discovers to her surprise that her husband, Ted (Jake Weber of "Meet Joe Black"), left her because she was too self-absorbed with his own career. Meantime, Darwan Singh Tur is about to marry an Indian woman, Jasleen (Sarita Choudhury of "Lady in the Water"), who has been selected for him in an arranged marriage. They endure challenges as well at the chapel. "Learning to Drive" is a cute little movie.

This film tells the story of a woman whose husband just dumped her. She meets a taxi driver who also works as a driving instructor. She decides to take driving lessons, and in the meantime they learn to navigate their marital problems."Learning To Drive" tells very common life problems, and it provides a very realistic sense of how people deal with these problems. Despite the hardships, the characters cope and the film maintains a sense of optimism and lightheartedness. It is also very refreshing to see Indian actors and culture being prominently portrayed in a film, especially because there is a row over a lack of diversity in the Oscars. I hope more films like this will get made.