Driving Lessons (2006)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Jeremy Brock

Writer:

Jeremy Brock (written by)

Release Date:

13 October 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

All Ben wanted was a job. All Evie needed was a friend.

Plot:

A coming of age story about a shy teenage boy trying to escape from the influence of his domineering mother. His world changes when he begins to work for a retired actress. |

Plot Keywords:

Actress | Coming Of Age | Teenage Boy | Overbearing Mother | Tree Costume

Awards:

3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Rupert Grint	...	Ben Marshall
Fay Cohen	...	Old Lady 1
Ruby Mortlock	...	Old Lady 2
Don Wetherhead	...	Old Man
Laura Linney	...	Laura Marshall
Oliver Milburn	...	Peter
Tamsin Egerton	...	Sarah
Nicholas Farrell	...	Robert Marshall
Jim Norton	...	Mr. Fincham
Julie Walters	...	Evie Walton
Chandra Ruegg	...	Chandra
Ricky Champ	...	Tough Looking Man
Rupert Holliday-Evans	...	Store Manager (as Rupert Holiday Evans)
Harriet Brock	...	Child at Campsite
James Brock	...	Child at Campsite

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language, sexual content and some thematic material.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | Ireland:15A | USA:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | UK:12 (edited version) | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Burnham Beeches, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

ContentFilm

Trivia:

Director Jeremy Brock chose Rupert Grint for the leading role was because he felt that he had been underused in the third and fourth installments of the Harry Potter franchise.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The bird that they look up at isn't a Skylark but a Swallow.

Quotes:

Evie Walton: You never read the bloody thing anyway!
Ben: [indignant] I read my Bible every night!
Evie Walton: Liar!
Ben: [shocked] Liar?
Ben: [shouting] You're telling me I'm a liar? I've never met anyone who lied so much in all my life! You make up whole people out of thin air! You make up conversations! You make up money!
Evie Walton: [at the same time Ben's talking] You said you'd be there at eleven and you weren't. The one time I really needed you and you let me down. The one time! Who were you with that was so bloody important you couldn't even be bothered to show up? Who was it?
[...]

Movie Connections:

References One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

Soundtrack:

El Agua De La Vida

Acting LESSONS

I'm torn on this one - while I loved Julie Walters as the aging actress looking for a substitute son, I was just as uninspired by Rupert Grint as the mopey teen turned personal assistant. Grint has two expressions: dour and more dour. Although watching them play mum and son in the HARRY POTTER films is a minor joy, there is less 'magic' when they are center stage for 100 minutes. American Laura Linney as Grint's mum is sadly out of place here among the Brits. Her role as a puritanical church drama instructor isn't very convincingly wrought or portrayed. There's steadfast work by Nicholas Farrell as Rupe's vicar dad, but it's upstaged by some odd bloke in drag that seems leftover from another film entirely. Watching the brilliant Walters is the main reason to rent DRIVING. Maybe if Grint hangs around the veteran actress long enough, he'll learn some LESSONS - in acting.