Driving Lessons

With his orange-colored bowl haircut and freckled cheeks, actor Rupert Grint (known by millions of pre-teens as Harry Potter's cinematic sidekick) is perfectly cast as Ben, an awkward teenage boy whose reticence almost trespasses into total muteness. After a lifetime of being reined in by his overbearing, deeply religious mother (the always spot-on Laura Linney), Ben enters into the social world via his job as assistant to one spitfire of a diva, the washed-up actress Eve Walton (the inimitable Julie Walters of EDUCATING RITA fame). Walton, unable to accept the disintegration of her once-lauded career, chews up the scenery with her theatrics, culled from both plays of her past (think Shakespeare soliloquizing on cue) and creations of her imagination (she constantly invents stories to tell Ben, forgetting them only hours later). Yet it is exactly this overdramatic flair for life that awakens something in the actress's repressed assistant, and, for the first time, Ben begins to assert himself and his ideas. Of course, this is much to the chagrin of his pious, controlling mother, who struggles in her stern way to keep Ben on the leash she has worked so hard to tighten around him. First-time director Jeremy Brock is no stranger to writing roles for strong women, having penned the scripts for MRS. BROWN and CHARLOTTE GRAY (played by Dame Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett). He proves that his sensitivity to detail and nuance translates to his directorial persona, crafting a movie that is as impeccably acted as it is carefully written, creating a balance between comedy and heartfelt drama that resonates deeply.

Cast:

3 stars out of 5 -- "[Walters'] eccentric old biddy is a tireless riot....[Linney] makes a formidable adversary....And there's an extra injection of Girl Power from newcomer Michelle Duncan..." -- Neil Smith , (Total Film)

"Brock's screenplay excels in highlighting the comic and disquieting side of suburbia. He depicts life in a dysfunctional household with the same mix of humour and insight found in Noah Baumbach's THE SQUID AND THE WHALE." -- Geoffrey Macnab , (Sight and Sound)

"It's an agreeable piece of whimsy with a personal touch by director Jeremy Brock that adds elements of authenticity." -- Richard Mowe , (Box Office)

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