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Educating Rita Photos

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Movie Info

Rita (Julie Walters), a married hair stylist in her 20s, wants to go back to school. She begins studying with Dr. Bryant (Michael Caine), a professor using alcohol to cope with his divorce. Despite his personal problems, Dr. Bryant helps Rita realize her academic potential. In turn, her passion for learning revitalizes his love of teaching. However, when Rita's blue-collar spouse learns that his wife is more interested in education than homemaking, he becomes frustrated by her independence.

Rating:

PG
Genre:

comedy, drama
Original Language:

English
Director:

Lewis Gilbert
Producer:

Lewis Gilbert
Writer:

Willy Russell
Release Date (Theaters):

Sep 21, 1983 wide
Release Date (Streaming):

Jan 24, 2006
Runtime:

1h 50m
Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation
Sound Mix:

Stereo

Cast & Crew

Michael Caine
Dr. Frank Bryant

Julie Walters
Rita, aka Susan

Michael Williams
Brian

Maureen Lipman
Trish

Jeananne Crowley
Julia

Malcolm Douglas
Denny

Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for Educating Rita

All Critics (15) | Top Critics (2) | Fresh (12) | Rotten (3)

If only I'd been able to believe they were actually reading the books, then everything else would have fallen into place. But I didn't believe it.

October 23, 2004 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…

Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Quote not available.

August 20, 2003 | Rating: 4/5

Nell Minow
Movie Mom
A restrained and classic film, with a correct prose, but with no imagination. [Full Review in Spanish]

February 10, 2020 | Full Review…

Octavi Marti
El Pais (Spain)
Time has not been kind to "Educating Rita."

April 17, 2017 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

David N. Butterworth
La Movie Boeuf
Inspired by Pygmalion and other works about mentor-pupil troubled/rewarding interaction, Lewis Gilbert's film is too theatrical, betraying its origins, but it's elevated by sparkling performances from Michael Caine and paricularly newcomer Julie Walters

November 6, 2007 | Rating: C+ | Full Review…

Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Michael Caine is perfect.

August 24, 2007 | Rating: 4/5

Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
Quote not available.

August 17, 2006 | Rating: 4/5

Lori Hoffman
Atlantic City Weekly
...a thoughtful thematic treatise on cultivation and learning and a charming character study of two lost souls from different worlds finding a common need in one another.

January 21, 2006 | Rating: 8/10 | Full Review…

John J. Puccio
Movie Metropolis
Lewis Gilbert has taken a two-person play from stage to screen and cracked it open

December 3, 2005 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Don Willmott
Filmcritic.com
Quote not available.

August 7, 2005 | Rating: 4/5

Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)
Comedy with romantic touches that manages to be appealing and moving.

November 24, 2003 | Rating: 4/5

Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Quote not available.

October 4, 2003 | Rating: 4/5

Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

View All Critic Reviews (15)

Audience Reviews for Educating Rita

Jan 10, 2014

The intimacy of the play is ruined by the film's worthless expansion of it's world (who cares about anyone else except for Rita and Frank?) so even though Walters and Caine give excellent performances all of the potentially interesting themes get lost in boring secondary material.

Alec B Super Reviewer
Aug 07, 2013

Call this the poor man's Pygmalion. Michael Caine and Julie Walters don't do anything offensive but nor do they particularly soar. You watch it, shrug and carry on.

John B Super Reviewer
May 10, 2013

At heart it's an exhibition piece for the two leads and they do not disappoint. The score is ear-achingly bad though.

Marcus W Super Reviewer
Sep 06, 2010

If you are either in college currently or are thinking about going soon, you should see this movie. It's a very thought provoking, realistic, unique movie about education and life. I highly recommend it.

Aj V Super Reviewer