An Education

I have been struggling with writing this review since I saw this film. On paper it has all the makings of great movie. A European director, unencumbered by the directives of the bottom-line bottom-dwellers who make up Hollywood studio heads, a screenplay by Nick Hornby (whose "High Fidelity" was one of the best books made-into-a-movie ever) and exciting actors. Set in 1961, the film stars Peter Sarsgaard as an unctuous crook who romances the much younger Jenny, played by newcomer Carey Mulligan. Much has been made in the press of Mulligan's performance, and of her inevitable fame. The press is absolutely correct. Mulligan is a joy to watch. She is present and real, but never comes across as too technical or jaded. Mulligan is one of those rare actors who you cannot imagine in any other role until you see her in one. She fully imbues Jenny with the wide-eyed guilelessness of an inexperienced girl who happens to be brilliant.
Hornby, however is a big disappointment. His dialogue would never survive in the mouth of John Cusack, and the story (while not his own), is not exactly revelatory. We've seen better versions of the May-December romance, and Hornby doesn't really do the 60's justice. Although, once you've gotten "Mad Men" in your soul, nothing else really compares. But who really chaps my hide is Sarsgaard. He sports a mediocre British accent, which frankly, I find bush-league to beat the band. Any actor worth their salt better have that handled, particularly in a film striving to be more than it is. Why is it that once an actor is in a few independent films, critics begin to anoint him or her as the second coming of Marlon Brando? Sarsgaard has garnered praise for his roles, but a careful look at his work will leave you feeling unsatisfied and probably a little creeped-out. But having established the appropriate amount of indie cred (marriage to a fellow avant-garde actor,a house in Brooklyn), Sarsgaard keeps on keepin' on.
My Comment has to do with the lemming-like way in which we all hop on the bandwagon. Didn't we all learn from 1950's architecture? Homogeneity bad, individualism, good. I find it the height of irony that independent film has simply become a barometer for people to judge whether or not an actor can be successful in mainstream movies. It makes me sad, it makes me mad, but mostly it make me lament the loss of individual critics who called out medium talent when they saw it.