Educating Rita (1983)

Overrated and overhyped

A Disappointing Continuation

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

In London, the twenty-seven year-old hairdresser Rita (Julie Walters) decides to complete her basic education before having children as desired by her husband Denny (Malcolm Douglas). She joins the literature course in an open university and has tutorial with the middle-aged Dr. Frank Bryant (Michael Caine) that is an alcoholic and deluded professor from the upper-class without self-esteem. Frank lives with the also Professor Julia (Jeananne Crowley) and they have a loveless relationship; Julia has a love affair with the dean Brian (Michael Williams). The amusing Rita gives motivation to Frank to prepare her for the exams to join the university while she leaves Denny and moves to the house of the waitress Trish (Maureen Lipman), who loves Gustav Mahler and is a cult woman. Will she succeed in the exams? "Educating Rita" is an unknown little gem with a dramatic and funny story about culture clash and improvement of life status through education. The plot partially recalls the storyline of "Pigmalion" or "My Fair Lady" with the change of behavior of Rita through the education. The screenplay has little details that might be unobserved by the viewer, like for example Frank's bottle of whiskey hidden behind the book "The Lost Weekend" and witty dialogues. The top-notch Michael Caine has one of his best performances in the role of a refined and cultured man without self-esteem that finds motivation in life after finding a simple woman that gives a different perspective view of life for him. Julie Walters is simply fantastic. The result is a very human story of friendship that has not aged. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "O Despertar de Rita" ("The Awakening of Rita")

It is not a British version of MY FAIR LADY (1964, 6/10), EDUCATING RITA goes a bit higher than that, it is about how literature can improve one's listless life and transfigure one's entire bearing from within. Rita, aka Susan White (Walters) is a 26-year-old hairdresser, married to an ordinary electrician for 6 years, she never goes to college, but finds herself as a thirsty bookworm, thus under the aim of completing her education and take the exam, she eagerly takes an open university tutorial from a college literature professor Dr. Frank Bryant (Caine), a middle-age divorcé and drunkard. So it is a story of Rita's transformation from a low-class commoner to a mature woman who realizes her self-worth and does embrace to the life she is really pining for. At the same time, it is a brilliant two-hander, Frank's life orbit also veers dramatically since the two form a thoroughly cordial friendship. (I was so relieved it didn't end up like a Hollywood mawkish rom-com with artificial happy ending.)Adapted by Willy Russell from his own play, the film allows Walters reprises her role in her film version against an illustrious Michael Caine, all three are deservingly honored with Oscar- nominations. Walters is simply ebullient in her big screen debut, she slickly delivers her lines with thick Cockney accent, and magically carry on the comic tone like a true comedienne, without resorting to slap-sticks or silly gags, her talent is oozing from the entire body of work, everything feels authentic even during the most contrived paragraph where she duly spill her knowledge in front of a group of stunned customers in the bistro where she works, which seems to be excusable thanks to her confidence and top-notch line-delivery. Far from farcical, Rita is also a role with her side of sacrifice and struggle, she has to give up her marriage to pursue what she wants, to know herself better, quote the line "to sing a better song". In those more dramatic sequences, Walter never falters and comes off as compelling as ever. Meanwhile, Walter has sparkling chemistry with an urban but alcohol-addicted Caine, whose Frank is a damaged good himself although he is the kind Rita inspires to be, the film incisively points out , everyone has his or her own deficit no matter what, take the example of Trish (Lipman), Rita's bohemian, happy-go-lucky roommate's suicidal attempt, life cannot be merely surrounded by literature and music, life is much bigger than that, we can relish in them, but never too immersed, otherwise, the rest of the time, it is purely difficult to bear. Frank's affection towards Rita is quite tangible along the courses of their interaction, Caine marvels in concealing his seething discontent and wanton rebelliousness with outright ludicrousness, he is in need of being rescued as well, but realistically, he is not a model teacher, his savior could not be Rita, but a rehab session to begin with. It is a role cannot be more apposite for Caine and he nails it superbly. Talking about some minor impediments of the film, its 80s' signature synthesized score could be mildly annoying, not in perfect harmony with its college milieu; and the script, although being audaciously persuasive and full of chewy set pieces for its players, sometimes, a sensitive viewer may get a sense of patronizing air afloat, reading great literature can only help one to get to know the world, and the feelings better, but not elevate one out of the world and feel superior to the mundanity, as Frank's down under exile can potently testify. It is my second entry of seasoned UK director Lewis Gilbert's (after SHIRLEY VALENTINE 1989, 7/10), EDUCATING RITA is on a par with the former, with a strong feminist stance to live one's life fully and get out of the shackles which a conventional society imposes on womanhood, sadly it is still pertinent in most of the world 31 years later, thus, it is a film we shall not overlook.

Educating Rita astonished me with the simplicity of its theme. Those of you who have not watch this movie, let me tell you Educating Rita signifies the aspect of relationship, which is purely based on interest & knowledge. Two people of different lifestyle meet, their ideology matches and they started to enjoy each other's company. Everyone is unique in his/her own way, then they grow up meet different person but end up hooking with someone who shares the same special interest as they do. But these are theories let me emphasize on the movie.....Rita a young married woman believes that her life means more than just getting married and having kids, and thus to learn more about life and herself ,she starts taking literature lessons from a boozing professor who was a victim of loneliness. He discovered that Rita is different from most of his students. Her pretty straightforward way of approaching the life amused him to the extent that he started longing her company. The content of the movie is specifically rich as it creates viewer's interest in plays and novels associated with literature. Acting is pretty natural and goes in flow as story progresses. Educating Rita is a warm tale of two people who seeks meaning of life in each other's presence

The highlight of this movie is without doubt the performances of Michael Caine and Julie Walters. They were superb together, each latching on to their roles perfectly, and with a marvellous on screen chemistry together. Those strong performances were essential to make this movie work, because of the subject matter. Essentially a retelling of Shaw's "Pygmalion" set in the contemporary world of a university campus, the story isn't at all original (although it has a few twists) but Caine and Walters make it worth watching.Caine is Dr. Frank Bryant, an English Professor who obviously struggles with demons of his own, in a relationship that isn't working well and spending a good deal of his time drunk, even when he's teaching. Into his life comes Rita (Walters), whose real name is Susan. She's an Open University student who wants to overcome her working class roots and become educated and cultured. She has to overcome opposition from her own husband and family, who are upset with her because she's been married six years and hasn't had a baby yet - which they seem to feel is her only purpose in life. Bryant and Rita develop a bond and help each other overcome their personal challenges and find transformation. Rita leaves her husband behind and becomes a full time student (and something of an expert on Chekov), while Bryant - after an embarrassing scene in which he's falling down drunk in front of his class - is packed off to Australia, which represents for him a new beginning.I appreciated the decision not to turn this into a sappy romance between Bryant and Rita. That seemed to be the way the ending was headed and it would have been the wrong way to go. Instead, Rita simply meets Bryant at the airport as he's flying off and thanks him for everything he's done and - whatever his personal problems - for being such a wonderful teacher to her. It's a very moving closing scene, made even more emotional by the very fact that there's no romance involved. Then, they simply go their separate ways into new lives. The line that stands out for me from the movie is spoken by Rita's mother. As the family gathers in a pub and sings along with the music she looks decidedly unhappy. Rita asks her what's wrong, and her memorable reply, with pained look on her face, is "There must be a better song." In other words, she - alone among the family - understands Rita's need to get away from all this. The movie is well done; one of countless adaptations of "Pygmalion" and so it won't carry a lot of mystery for anyone, but still well done. 7/10