Meryl Streep is probably the only actress in the race who is above 40. This is a young woman’s year, to be sure. Be sure to check out Guy Lodge’s rundown of the Best Actor Under 30 and his coverage of the young women currently playing even younger women on screen. There is no denying Carey Mulligan’s ascent, however.
The critics are especially liking Mulligan (although, at this point, who DOESN’T?). High praise indeed from the Village Voice’s Scott Foundas and Slant’s Ed Gonzales.
Scott Foundas, the Village Voice:
Twenty-two when the film was shot, with only a handful of minor movie and television appearances behind her, Mulligan doesn’t get an entrance here on par with, say, Audrey Hepburn’s regal procession in Roman Holiday or Jean Seberg’s seaside frolic in Otto Preminger’s Bonjour Tristesse—but it doesn’t take long for her to cast the same sort of beguiling spell. A petite, round-faced brunette with dimpled cheeks and a darting, fiercely intelligent gaze, Mulligan is on-screen for nearly every frame of An Education, and in those 90-odd minutes, her Jenny seems to transform before us, from girlish insouciance to womanly self-confidence, from intellectual posturing to possessing a finely honed sense of personal taste. Playing a character who is herself a rare bloom in a field of mediocrity, Mulligan has a star quality they can’t teach in acting school.
Ed Gonzales Ryan Stewart, Slant:
Mulligan’s performance is a thing of understated beauty, instinctively attuned to that headstrong-but-full-hearted quality common to the most aware teenagers, alight with choices in emotional keys both unexpected and resonant, and ultimately successful enough on its own terms to render superfluous the associative endorsement that Scherfig offers by way of a predictable makeover-revelation moment, in which the frumpy, pale-faced student is reintroduced as a radiant Holly GoLightly. That Mulligan’s excess of talent occasionally throws light onto groaningly conventional aspects of Education’s storyline is perhaps inevitable, though noticeable, particularly in scenes opposite her stiff upper-lip father (Alfred Molina) and mother (Cara Seymour) which sway unpredictably from broad comedy to indulgent melodrama. Theirs is almost a self-contained B-story unaffected by the main action.
Marshall Fine, Hollywood and Fine, writes:
If the eventual destination of this story seems preordained, the journey itself is both captivating and compelling. Mulligan, with her control and slight hauteur, still evinces the suppressed glee of a young person finally allowed to act like the adult she’s always felt herself to be. She also captures the withering contempt that her parents bring out in her, because they seem both unutterably square and totally out of tune with how she sees herself. To them, she’s still their little girl; she, however, has lost that little girl’s awe for her parents, suddenly seeing only their flaws and shortcomings.
25 Responses for "Mulligan – Enchanting, a Thing of Understated Beauty"
It seems like ages ago that I emailed Sasha singing Carey’s praises after seeing a workprint in London prior to its festival debut. In the words of Nikki Finke: TOLJA!
Many thanks for the link, Sasha.
And off Foundas’s comment, doesn’t a fresh “Bonjour Tristesse” adaptation with Mulligan sound like an ace idea? Anyone?
Actually it wasn’t a review by Ed Gonzalez (he apparently hated it) it was Ryan Stewart,
Hollywood prefers young women? GET OUT! I never heard such talk!
Mulligan is quite lovely. Can’t wait to see the film!
“Actually it wasn’t a review by Ed Gonzalez (he apparently hated it) it was Ryan Stewart”
That makes sense.
Male reviewers going nuts for a woman playing a 16 year old who gets laid by a 40 year old? How bizarre.
I think she’s very good….she’s not the second coming, however, and she is a grown woman, not a real teenager at all. So…I expect her to be able to play 16 with some intelligence and retrospect.
Annette Bening & Helen Mirren have some amount of buzz; they’re old. I was noticing how most of the youngest nominated and youngest winners are a lot younger for females than males for acting (10th-youngest lead actress nominee is younger than the 3rd-youngest lead actor nominee. The 10th-youngest lead actress winner is younger than the 1st-youngest lead actor winner.). And most of the actors with many nominations are male – just 4 of the 12 with 8 are female…showing that the Academy likes young women, old men.
Hmm, interesting that Scherfig’s direction in reviews so far has had a range of responses, from yay to nay to ignoring it as a major factor. Maybe Bigelow, Daniels, Reitman, Eastwood, and Marshall’s collective chances got higher. Though I’d personally love if Ford and/or Campion could get in.
The title makes me think of Bright Star. A thing of beauty is a joy forever…go Cornish.
I’ve said it before, I think Mulligan is winning that Oscar.
I am so happy for Carey, she was marvelous, pretty much marvelous in this film. The critics are are all in love with her. Sigh
FYI Roger Ebert now has a twitter, mostly links and limmericks, but occasional soundbite reviews too.
“”Trucker” is a wonderful new movie, with a career-changing performance by Michelle Monaghan. Opens 10/9.”
“”"Mammoth” is a lovely, heartfelt film. Gael Garcia Bernal, Michelle Williams. US premiere CIFF Oct 14 & 17. http://j.mp/7upA7”
http://twitter.com/ebertchicago
Glad to know he liked Trucker.
(Sorry about the whole Wagner thing. Spelling errors seem to irk me, even if they are intentional.)
Did Hawkins get this much Awards Daily coverage last year? I think if she had, things may have been different for her.
Yeah I think for some reason Awards daily is really pushing hard for Carey this year…Anything about her is posted here for sure!
well, I am loving all the attention AW is giving to her. She wa fantastic on Education and deserves all kinds of praise. Bravo Carey
like I said earlier this week at incontention… I “must marry this girl”!
I’ll be watching “An Education” in about an hour and I CAN’T WAIT!
Ryan Stewart instead of Ed Gonzalez! It’s been twelve hours.
fixed, thanks.
Only one word describes that picture:
Radiant.
This foreign born C list movie actress was rumored to be in a relationship with this B+/A- list movie actor. The rumors were true but the relationship is having its problems. Not because they don’t like each other because they are crazy about each other. It is just that our actor has had some problems in the past with substance abuse and is trying to stay clean and the actress is in a full on do drugs whenever you can time in her life and is causing some real issues between the two. In fact, over the last few weeks our actress has been doing more than usual and looks like death warmed over according to someone who saw her at a press event.
Mary Hart, WHAT IN NAME OF GOD IS THIS???????? this is AD, a place where we discuss performanes, films, actors, not some bullshit gossip from scum magazines. IF you are implying that Carey is a drug addicted at least said in a straight way.
SCUM BAG
Next time you take out the trash, Mary Hart, don’t forget to jump in the black plastic bag.
Yeah, Mary Hart has been spamming this garbage, verbatim, on several movie sites and celebrity gossip sites. Loathsome person. Probably a Shia Labeouf fangirl. Shia’s fangirls have an insane amount of hate for Carey.
He’ll never fuck you freaks, so get over it. You’re well beneath his socio-economic class and would be a far, far too easy of a lay. Where’s the fun in that?
Oh my God, are you really that sensitive about the reputation of Carey Mulligan? Do you think drugs and young actors are mutually exclusive? Do you grovel that easily whenever a performance is relentlessly hyped to help market a film? It’s a blind item, not her phone number. Get over yourselves.
Get over myself? You’re the one copying and pasting this garbage word-for-word on multiple message boards; clearly, there is something seriously wrong with you, and it is obvious you have an axe to grind. You’re attempting to disgustingly and recklessly damage someone’s reputation. You should seek help.
Carey fucked Shia’s brains out the back of his head. You will never know this pleasure. Enjoy your life.
Wasn’t overly impressed with Mulligan. Very underwhelmed and did not live up to the hype. She was good but Molina and Pike were equally as good. Why she’s getting all this Oscar buzz is beyond me.
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