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.

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")

treeline1 Rita White (Julie Walters) is a spunky, 26-year old working class woman who wants to improve her lot. She enrolls in a special Open University class and meets with her tutor, Frank (Michael Caine) once a week to study great literature. Frank, who spends his days in an alcoholic haze, is at first intrigued and later enthralled with the outspoken Rita.This is a wonderful showcase for the talented and adorable Julie Walters. She is dazzling and thoroughly likable and every word spoken in her thick Liverpool accent rings honest and true. Caine lets her shine by downplaying Frank, who is hopelessly morose and more than a bit lazy. Both were rightly nominated for best acting Oscars.The inevitable transformation/ improvement of both characters is sweet and uplifting without being overly-sentimental. Walters, best known these days as the matronly Mrs. Weasley in "Harry Potter," is so young and pretty and lights up the screen with her charisma. Recommended.

zetes Michael Caine plays a disillusioned literature professor who partly regains his passion when a young, working class woman played by Julie Walters hires him as her tutor. She has a unique way of looking at the world which amuses him, and a difficult-to-understand desire to learn that inspires him. In all honesty, the screenplay is pretty mediocre. I can't believe it was nominated for an Oscar. The beats are all obvious, and its message comes across as borderline despicable. But it's always an entertaining film. Then there's Walters. She brings the film to a higher plane with her amazing performance. Caine is fine. It's not one of his best performances, but it's good. Walters, though, oh my God. I was just glued to the screen every second she was on it, and I just loved listening to her speak. It's quite incredible, and I think she should have won the Oscar over Shirley MacLaine that year. Rita is one of my favorite movie characters ever, and, whatever else the story here is doing, I always loved her.