Having cast Michael Caine in "Alfie" some years earlier, director Lewis Gilbert reunited with him for the equally splendid "Educating Rita". Caine plays drunken, burned-out literature teacher Frank Bryant. Frank seems just about at the end of his rope when he meets hairdresser Rita (Julie Walters), who wants to continue her education. In the process, they both learn some things from each other.
This may sound like a cliché, but it's not here. They never let the movie turn into a sugary mess; they keep it strong from beginning to end. Michael Caine reaffirmed himself as possibly the Union Jack's most dependable actor of the post-war period, and Julie Walters jump-started a formidable career that would include "Billy Elliot" and the "Harry Potter" movies. Lewis Gilbert went on to direct "Shirley Valentine", another movie that everyone should see.
This may sound like a cliché, but it's not here. They never let the movie turn into a sugary mess; they keep it strong from beginning to end. Michael Caine reaffirmed himself as possibly the Union Jack's most dependable actor of the post-war period, and Julie Walters jump-started a formidable career that would include "Billy Elliot" and the "Harry Potter" movies. Lewis Gilbert went on to direct "Shirley Valentine", another movie that everyone should see.