Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Tayyab Torres Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

MartinHafer "Educating Rita" is a movie based on the play. And, when you watch it, you realize that the story is very much a reworking of the old film "A Star is Born". Worth watching, even if it lacks complete originality.The story begins with Rita (Julie Walters) seeing Dr. Bryant for tutoring. Despite her being very much a working class lady, Rita wants to become educated and Dr. Bryant is her chance. Through the course of their relationship, he teaches her to think and appreciate literature like a good college student...and, over time, he falls deeper and deeper into self-pity and alcoholism. While Professor Bryant does not drown himself at the end nor does Rita win an Oscar, it's is so much like "A Star is Born". You see Rita grow, blossom and develop courage...much like Esther Blodgett in the other film. Worth seeing and with some really nice performances by both Walters (in her first film) and Caine.

Paul Evans Rita is a twenty six year old hairdresser, who's only had a basic education, after a long time deliberating she joins an open University course with Doctor Frank Bryant, she wants to change her life, and instantly changes his life.There aren't enough superlatives I can throw at these two, my favourite performance to this day from Michael Caine, he's funny, tragic, captivating and totally engaging. He bounces so well off a young Julie Walters, for my money one of the best British actresses of all time, her performance is sensational, you truly see Rita develop throughout the film. A shame Lipman didn't get more screen time, the few minutes she's on, she's brilliant.I've never forgotten that phrase 'assonance means getting the rhyme wrong.'It has some incredibly funny moments, Brian's phone calls to his agents, Rita's early outbursts. It has some truly sad moments, where Denny burns her books, and it boasts a moment of devastation, poor Maureen Lipman's character Trish.It's a fabulous film, I know many see it as an Eighty's Pygmalion story, but it's so much more then that, it's a social character study, which is acted to perfection. A great film. 9/10

Dave I don't know why this is thought highly of by critics - it's one of the worst films I've ever seen. It's slow, dull, unfunny and none of the characters are likable. There's no indication as to what the protagonist wants to do with her literature qualification. Does she want to find a good job? If so, as what? Does she want educated friends? We never find out.Why does the protagonist call herself Rita, when her real name is Susan? If she wants to become classy, cultured etc. - then why swap one common, ordinary name for another?Michael Caine's character is a tired, cardboard cutout alcoholic. He's not the inspiring, enthusiastic, charismatic character that he's meant to be. He's a great actor, but he's wasted in this role.

Claudio Carvalho In London, the twenty-seven year-old hairdresser Rita (Julie Walters) decides to complete her basic education before having children as desired by her husband Denny (Malcolm Douglas). She joins the literature course in an open university and has tutorial with the middle-aged Dr. Frank Bryant (Michael Caine) that is an alcoholic and deluded professor from the upper-class without self-esteem. Frank lives with the also Professor Julia (Jeananne Crowley) and they have a loveless relationship; Julia has a love affair with the dean Brian (Michael Williams). The amusing Rita gives motivation to Frank to prepare her for the exams to join the university while she leaves Denny and moves to the house of the waitress Trish (Maureen Lipman), who loves Gustav Mahler and is a cult woman. Will she succeed in the exams? "Educating Rita" is an unknown little gem with a dramatic and funny story about culture clash and improvement of life status through education. The plot partially recalls the storyline of "Pigmalion" or "My Fair Lady" with the change of behavior of Rita through the education. The screenplay has little details that might be unobserved by the viewer, like for example Frank's bottle of whiskey hidden behind the book "The Lost Weekend" and witty dialogues. The top-notch Michael Caine has one of his best performances in the role of a refined and cultured man without self-esteem that finds motivation in life after finding a simple woman that gives a different perspective view of life for him. Julie Walters is simply fantastic. The result is a very human story of friendship that has not aged. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "O Despertar de Rita" ("The Awakening of Rita")