Tuesday 22 January 2013

Day 22: Driving Lessons



Today, you may be surprised to know, I was in a delightful mood. For the whole day. I know, I’m just as shocked as you are! So in order to go with my good mood I decided to watch a ‘happy’ film.

Ben (Rupert Grint) is completely under the control of his bible-bashing mother (Laura Linney). She is manipulative and a hypocrite and is stopping Ben from moving out of her shadow. He gets a job helping Evie (Julie Walters), a lonely actress, and they form quite a friendship. In his short time with her he experiences more than he has ever managed to before and finally gets to become his own person.

If I wasn’t trying to focus on the happy moments I’m sure Evie would’ve broken my wee heart. She was so lonely and eccentric. The first we see of her is when she’s swearing at her plants and I knew I was going to love her right off the bat. Ben is uncomfortable around her, however, because she is loud and says whatever she wants without regard for those around. But she encourages him in his poetry and to try and break from his family life and so he begins to care for her.

They head off for Edinburgh so that Evie can take part in a poetry recital. She is nervous, having never performed in front of anyone for a long time, and makes him promise he’ll be there for her. However, one of the women (Michelle Duncan) working at the poetry recital takes a shine to Ben and invites him out. She tries to get him to loosen up and he is just so awkward. All of my notes from the scene in the bar are along the lines of “Aw babe, I just want to cuddle you” so you can tell how uncomfortable he was. But eventually he relaxes and they end up back at hers. She says “Come here, you twit” before kissing him and it was just the cutest. Cut to the next morning and it’s after 11 and he’s missing out on Evie’s recital. She is not coping well and when he finally bursts in she is crying in front of everyone. They head back to London and she forgives him.

Finally his mother’s affair is found out and his father wants a divorce. She’ll be moving away which will give Ben the freedom he needs. He goes to see Evie and he reads a poem he has written for her and it was a sweet moment. Of course I cried, how could I not?

Good film. I love Rupert Grint’s face, it’s just perfect.

7/10

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