from Acorn Pictures / Columbia Pictures
Directed by
Lewis Gilbert
Starring
Michael
Caine (Dr. Frank Bryant)
Julie
Walters (Rita)
Michael Williams (Brian)
Maureen Lipman (Trish)
Jeananne Crowley (Julia)
Malcolm Douglas (Denny)
Godfrey Quigley (Rita's Father)
Dearbhla Molloy (Elaine)
Patrick Daly (Bursar)
Kim Fortune (Collins)
Philip Hurdwood (Tiger)
Hilary Reynolds (Lesley)
Jack Walsh (Price)
Christopher Casson (Professor)
Rosamund Burton (Denise)
Marcus O'Higgins (Marcus)
Mark Drew (Disco Manager)
Gabrielle Reidy (Barbara)
Des Nealon (Invigilator)
Marie Conmee (Customer in Hairdressers)
Oliver Maguire (Tutor)
Derry Power (Photographer)
Alan Stanford (Bistro Manager)
Gerry Sullivan (Security Officer)
Patricia Jeffares (Rita's Mother)
Maeve Germaine (Sandra)
Liam Stack (Sandra's Fiance)
Written by
Willy Russell (also play)
Rated: 
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Michael Caine and the knockout Julie Walters deliver
a pair of wonderful performances in this endearingly bittersweet
tale of a boozily burnt-out professor's tutoring of (and subsequent
tutoring by) a free-spirited cockney hairdresser determined to
improve her lot in life. The basic plot won't exactly surprise
anyone who's ever seen a movie before, but the ace cast (particularly
Caine, who's rarely this subtle) continually finds new directions
to spin off from the rather rote path. Although the end result
is perhaps just a little too convinced of its own adorability
to attain classic status, this remains a rarity in the genre--a
feel-good film that earns its emotions honestly. A nice change
of pace for director Lewis Gilbert, who is perhaps better known
for his contributions to the James Bond series. --Andrew
Wright
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Related Books and Movie Tie-Ins: |
Educating
Rita (VHS)
Educating
Rita [CD]
Original Soundtrack
Other
Great Films from 1983
Classic
British Comedy
Willy
Russell: Plays: 1:
Breezeblock Park, Our Day Out, Stags and Hens, Educating Rita
by Willy Russell
Acting
in Film: An Actor's Take on Movie Making
by Michael Caine, Maria Aitken
Rubyfruit
Jungle
by Rita Mae Brown
Mahler:
A Biography
by Jonathan Carr
The
Courage to Be Yourself: A Woman's Guide to Growing Beyond Emotional
Dependence
by Sue Patton Thoele, Louise Hart
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