Driving Lessons
Encyclopedia
Driving Lessons is a 2006 British dramedy film written and directed by Jeremy Brock
. The plot focuses on the relationship between a shy teenaged boy and an ageing eccentric actress.
obsessed with ornithology
, and domineering overbearing mother Laura, whose strong religious beliefs lead her to perform numerous charitable acts while ignoring the emotional needs of her own family, such as forcing Ben to deliver meals on wheels despite his having no car. Her faith does not however hinder her from engaging in an affair with Peter, a young curate
portraying Jesus Christ in the church pageant she is directing.
Notably Laura's religious side appears to be completely invented to simply bully her husband and son. Amongst Laura's many random and meanspirited rulings she refuses to allow Ben to have a mobile phone (they cause cancer), refuses to allow him go hang around with people his own age and uses his driving lessons as a way to be ferried around for her affair with Peter, who appears unrepentant for sleeping with his mentor's wife. Miserable in his life, Ben writes poems for a girl he knows from church named Sarah. Whilst Ben is besotted by Sarah, she is more preoccupied with the curate
who is having an affair with Ben's mother; she also calls Ben "weird" and speaks to him in a condscending tone.
Seeking summer employment, at his mother's urging, so that she pay for the upkeep of a mental paitent named Mr. Fincham she has adopted, Ben responds to an ad placed by Dame Evie Walton, an alcoholic classically-trained actress who was reduced to accepting a role on a daytime soap opera
when her once flourishing career began to fade and hasn't worked since the series ended, to her annoyance. In search of a companion to assist her in the house and drive her to various appointments, Evie immediately takes to Ben and offers him the position. This delights Laura who suggests using Evie in the Church Pageant to, in her words, "give the Muslim
s something to think about." To her husband's shock and disgust, ironically, one of Evie's five husbands was a Muslim
, something Ben forgets to mention to his fanatical Christian mother.
Ben's conservative upbringing hasn't prepared him for the adventures he begins to experience with his new employer. When Laura refuses to allow Ben to take a camping trip with Evie, she suggests they take a drive in the country instead, then swallows the car key when they find an idyllic spot for setting up a campsite. The following morning she announces she needs Ben to drive her to the Edinburgh International Book Festival
, where she has been invited to read poetry. Their road trip
proves to be an epiphany for Ben, who has his first sexual experience with Bryony, one of the young women organising the event; learns the importance of accepting responsibility and honouring commitments; and finds the inner strength to stand up for himself and speak his mind.
Upon returning from the trip Laura has Ben sectioned as Evie is "Wicked" and has "corrupted" him, upon Ben's release from the asylum, she condemns and belittles Ben with Bible
until he is reduced to the same existence he had before meeting Evie. However when Evie comes to visit and is rebuffed by Laura Ben discovers this and in a fit of rebellion walks offstage in the pageant and goes for a bike ride over to Evie's house where the two friends reconcile.
Later Evie turns up at the Pageant and "portraying" the part of God manages to whip everyone up into a religious frenzy, allowing Ben to join her in the car park. Laura chases the pair and tries to weaponise the Bible
once more, however Ben finally tells her to go away, seconds later Laura is run over by Mr. Fincham, whose mental state has steadily declined throughout the film. When Ben visits her at hospital she tells him her near death experience has made her a prophet
and that god
says she must have a divorce
so that she can run off with her bit on the side Peter, whom the Bishop
has fired; with the pair going to preach the word of the Lord in Africa
.
Angered at her lack of concern for either him or his father Ben storms off, on his way out of the hospital he runs into Sarah who aimlessly prattles on about how the affair
was god's will, finally pushed beyond endurance Ben tells Sarah to fuck off
which shocks her. Later, following Evie's advice, Ben buys himself a tent and moves into the backyard as a way to "get away from it all". When Robert speaks to him Ben shouts at him, telling him that he and not Laura should have asked for divorce
, which is when we learn that it was indeed him who asked for Divorce. Startled Ben listens to Robert explain about how much he loved his wife and tried to be faithful even when she was not. Finally free from Laura's brand of Christian fanaticism father and son express their love to one another.
Later Ben visits Evie to tell her he is moving to Edinburgh
to attend University
to study English. Evie is pleased for Ben and a little saddened that Ben shall no longer be working for her but is happy for him, before Ben leaves Evie reveals that her experience at the Church Pageant has re-ignited her flare and that in the last few months she has played Lady MacBeth
at the Royal Theatre
, Rum Tum Tugger
at the theatre in the Round
, the Widow Corney in the Westend
in a production of Oliver!
, the nurse in Romeo and Juliet
and the Matron "Mama" Morton in Chicago
and is now starring in a crime drama on TV. Ben reads Evie a last poem expressing his gratitude
for her friendship, promises to visit whenever he's home from Uni and heads off.
The final scene of the film shows Ben, finally free, walking through the park on his way home to start packing for University.
This is the second time that Julie Walters and Rupert Grint have worked together on a film; the first time was in the Harry Potter
film franchise where Grint played Ronald Weasley and Walters his mother Molly
.
.
The film was shot on location in the Tottenham
, Hampstead
and Parliament Hill
areas of London, at locations including the Parliament Hill Lido
and the nearby Holly Lodge Estate
. Other locations included Edinburgh
and Burnham Beeches
in Buckinghamshire
.
The soundtrack
includes songs performed by Salsa Celtica
, Sufjan Stevens
, Nick Drake
, Richard Thompson, Ben Folds
, and Ginny Clee
.
The film premiered at the Dublin Film Festival and was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival
, the Cannes Film Market, the Moscow Film Festival, and the Edinburgh Film Festival before going into limited release in the UK on 8 September 2006.
said the film "belongs to that hardy niche of British comedies designed as star vehicles for distinguished actresses (preferably Dames) of a certain age whose assignment is to win awards by devouring the scenery." He added, "The screwball ageing diva genre isn't the only formula guiding this stubbornly old-fashioned movie. Driving Lessons belongs to the silly feel-good mode of The Full Monty
, Calendar Girls
, Billy Elliot
, Kinky Boots
and dozens of other celebrations of Britons defying convention to become 'free,' whatever that means. Since any connections between Driving Lessons and the real world are tangential at best, it's a faux liberation: the easiest kind."
Ruthe Stein of the San Francisco Chronicle
observed, "With the aid of a charmingly offbeat story and a jolly good dialect coach, the stars leave you thinking, well done. Their spirited performances help cover up glaring holes in the plot. Whenever Driving Lessons threatens to get off course, Walters . . . steers it in her direction. She doesn't so much steal the movie as borrow it for extended periods and return it with the motor purring."
Gene Seymour of Newsday
said, "Everybody in Driving Lessons is working very hard to show how affecting and touching their movie can be. Indeed, the collective effort invested in this ragged mongrel of a coming-of-age story may con even the most jaded moviegoer into thinking there's something profound being put forth. Forewarned, you may find it sweet enough to fill an empty afternoon . . . Driving Lessons follows the well-worn path laid down by other, better movies while making strained, ludicrous things happen toward the end."
Ronnie Scheib of Variety
said, "The forceful [performances] of the two main divas manage to more or less blast away the moral bulwarks of this otherwise conventional coming-of-age story. The fanatic gleam in Linney's eyes as she oh-so-sweetly lays down the law is matched only by the spectacle of her shuddering attempts to control her fury when thwarted. Walters chews up scenery in grand manner, nicely teetering between drunken helplessness and zesty hedonism. Grint, maintaining puppy-dog altruism, holds his own in the matriarchal maelstrom, redheadedly adorable to the end."
Peter Bradshaw
of The Guardian
rated the film three out of five stars and commented, "The movie looks like a lot of other things: Driving Miss Daisy
, Harold and Maude
, Billy Elliot
, Acorn Antiques
. It doesn't quite develop its own identity. And it's somehow inevitable that Dame Evie's hilarious swearing and opinionating fade away as sentimentality takes over. But it's a great turn from Julie Walters, and a likable film."
Philip French of The Observer
called the film "dreadful" and added, "A cross between Driving Miss Luvvie and a Children's Film Foundation
remake of Sunset Boulevard
, it's an embarrassment."
but lost to Meryl Streep
in The Devil Wears Prada
.
Jeremy Brock
Jeremy Brock is an English actor, producer, writer, fisher and director whose works include the screenplays Mrs. Brown, Driving Lessons, Last King of Scotland, and Charlotte Gray....
. The plot focuses on the relationship between a shy teenaged boy and an ageing eccentric actress.
Plot
Seventeen-year-old Ben Marshall is the sensitive, poetry-writing son of complacent and emasculated Robert, a vicarVicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
obsessed with ornithology
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
, and domineering overbearing mother Laura, whose strong religious beliefs lead her to perform numerous charitable acts while ignoring the emotional needs of her own family, such as forcing Ben to deliver meals on wheels despite his having no car. Her faith does not however hinder her from engaging in an affair with Peter, a young curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
portraying Jesus Christ in the church pageant she is directing.
Notably Laura's religious side appears to be completely invented to simply bully her husband and son. Amongst Laura's many random and meanspirited rulings she refuses to allow Ben to have a mobile phone (they cause cancer), refuses to allow him go hang around with people his own age and uses his driving lessons as a way to be ferried around for her affair with Peter, who appears unrepentant for sleeping with his mentor's wife. Miserable in his life, Ben writes poems for a girl he knows from church named Sarah. Whilst Ben is besotted by Sarah, she is more preoccupied with the curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
who is having an affair with Ben's mother; she also calls Ben "weird" and speaks to him in a condscending tone.
Seeking summer employment, at his mother's urging, so that she pay for the upkeep of a mental paitent named Mr. Fincham she has adopted, Ben responds to an ad placed by Dame Evie Walton, an alcoholic classically-trained actress who was reduced to accepting a role on a daytime soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
when her once flourishing career began to fade and hasn't worked since the series ended, to her annoyance. In search of a companion to assist her in the house and drive her to various appointments, Evie immediately takes to Ben and offers him the position. This delights Laura who suggests using Evie in the Church Pageant to, in her words, "give the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s something to think about." To her husband's shock and disgust, ironically, one of Evie's five husbands was a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, something Ben forgets to mention to his fanatical Christian mother.
Ben's conservative upbringing hasn't prepared him for the adventures he begins to experience with his new employer. When Laura refuses to allow Ben to take a camping trip with Evie, she suggests they take a drive in the country instead, then swallows the car key when they find an idyllic spot for setting up a campsite. The following morning she announces she needs Ben to drive her to the Edinburgh International Book Festival
Edinburgh International Book Festival
The Edinburgh International Book Festival, is a book festival that takes place in the last three weeks of August every year in Charlotte Square, in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital...
, where she has been invited to read poetry. Their road trip
Road trip
A road trip is any journey taken on roads, regardless of stops en route. Typically, road trips are long distances traveled by automobile.-Pre-automobile road trips:...
proves to be an epiphany for Ben, who has his first sexual experience with Bryony, one of the young women organising the event; learns the importance of accepting responsibility and honouring commitments; and finds the inner strength to stand up for himself and speak his mind.
Upon returning from the trip Laura has Ben sectioned as Evie is "Wicked" and has "corrupted" him, upon Ben's release from the asylum, she condemns and belittles Ben with Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
until he is reduced to the same existence he had before meeting Evie. However when Evie comes to visit and is rebuffed by Laura Ben discovers this and in a fit of rebellion walks offstage in the pageant and goes for a bike ride over to Evie's house where the two friends reconcile.
Later Evie turns up at the Pageant and "portraying" the part of God manages to whip everyone up into a religious frenzy, allowing Ben to join her in the car park. Laura chases the pair and tries to weaponise the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
once more, however Ben finally tells her to go away, seconds later Laura is run over by Mr. Fincham, whose mental state has steadily declined throughout the film. When Ben visits her at hospital she tells him her near death experience has made her a prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
and that god
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
says she must have a divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
so that she can run off with her bit on the side Peter, whom the Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
has fired; with the pair going to preach the word of the Lord in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
Angered at her lack of concern for either him or his father Ben storms off, on his way out of the hospital he runs into Sarah who aimlessly prattles on about how the affair
Affair
Affair may refer to professional, personal, or public business matters or to a particular business or private activity of a temporary duration, as in family affair, a private affair, or a romantic affair.-Political affair:...
was god's will, finally pushed beyond endurance Ben tells Sarah to fuck off
Fuck off
Fuck off may refer to:* "Fuck Off" , a notorious art exhibition which ran alongside the Shanghai Biennial Festival in 2000* Fuck Off!, a solo EP by Joseph Utsler* "Fuck off and die", a track from Backyard Babies...
which shocks her. Later, following Evie's advice, Ben buys himself a tent and moves into the backyard as a way to "get away from it all". When Robert speaks to him Ben shouts at him, telling him that he and not Laura should have asked for divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
, which is when we learn that it was indeed him who asked for Divorce. Startled Ben listens to Robert explain about how much he loved his wife and tried to be faithful even when she was not. Finally free from Laura's brand of Christian fanaticism father and son express their love to one another.
Later Ben visits Evie to tell her he is moving to Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
to attend University
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
to study English. Evie is pleased for Ben and a little saddened that Ben shall no longer be working for her but is happy for him, before Ben leaves Evie reveals that her experience at the Church Pageant has re-ignited her flare and that in the last few months she has played Lady MacBeth
Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth may refer to:*Lady Macbeth, from William Shakespeare's play Macbeth**Queen Gruoch of Scotland, the real-life Queen on whom Shakespeare based the character...
at the Royal Theatre
The Royal Theatre
The Royal Theatre is the third studio album by Scottish group Ballboy, released in 2004.-Track listing:# Let's Fall In Love And Run Away From Here# I Don't Have Time To Stand Here With You Fighting About The Size Of My Dick# The Art Of Kissing...
, Rum Tum Tugger
Rum Tum Tugger
Rum Tum Tugger is one of the many feline characters in the poetry book Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot, published in 1939, and in the musical Cats which was based on Eliot's book....
at the theatre in the Round
Theatre in the round
Theatre-in-the-round or arena theatre is any theatre space in which the audience surrounds the stage area...
, the Widow Corney in the Westend
Westend
Westend is a district of the city of Espoo, Finland. It is one of the wealthiest residential areas in Finland and is situated ten kilometers from the center of Helsinki and two kilometers from Tapiola.- History :...
in a production of Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
, the nurse in Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
and the Matron "Mama" Morton in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and is now starring in a crime drama on TV. Ben reads Evie a last poem expressing his gratitude
Gratitude
Gratitude, thankfulness, gratefulness, or appreciation is a feeling, emotion or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or will receive. The experience of gratitude has historically been a focus of several world religions, and has been considered extensively by moral...
for her friendship, promises to visit whenever he's home from Uni and heads off.
The final scene of the film shows Ben, finally free, walking through the park on his way home to start packing for University.
Cast
- Julie WaltersJulie WaltersJulie Walters, CBE is an English actress and novelist. She came to international prominence in 1983 for Educating Rita, performing in the title role opposite Michael Caine. It was a role she had created on the West End stage and it won her BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actress...
as Evie Walton - Rupert GrintRupert GrintRupert Alexander Lloyd Grint is an English actor, who rose to prominence playing Ron Weasley, one of the three main characters in the Harry Potter film series. Grint was cast as Ron at the age of 11, having previously acted only in school plays and at his local theatre group...
as Ben Marshall - Laura LinneyLaura LinneyLaura Leggett Linney is an American actress of film, television, and theatre. Linney has won three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has been nominated for three times for an Academy Award and once for a BAFTA Award...
as Laura Marshall - Nicholas FarrellNicholas FarrellNicholas Farrell is an English stage, film and television actor. His early screen career included the role of Aubrey Montague in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire. In 1983, he starred as Edmund Bertram in a television adaptation of the Jane Austen novel, Mansfield Park...
as Robert Marshall - Michelle DuncanMichelle DuncanMichelle Duncan is a Scottish actress. She was nominated for a BAFTA Scotland Award for her performance in Sea of Souls....
as Bryony - Oliver MilburnOliver MilburnOliver Milburn , occasionally known by the name Oz Milburn, is an English actor.-Early life:Milburn was born in Dorset and educated at the Dragon School in Oxford, and then Eton College. He then went straight into television, with no formal acting training.-Career:He played Matthew Bannerman in...
as Peter
This is the second time that Julie Walters and Rupert Grint have worked together on a film; the first time was in the Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
film franchise where Grint played Ronald Weasley and Walters his mother Molly
Order of the Phoenix
The Order of the Phoenix is a fictional secret organisation in the Harry Potter series of books written by J. K. Rowling. Founded by Albus Dumbledore to fight Lord Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters, the Order lends its name to the fifth book of the series, Harry Potter and the Order of...
.
Production
In Driving Lessons: Behind the Scenes, a bonus feature on the DVD release of the film, screenwriter/director Jeremy Brock reveals he was still making changes to his script during the rehearsal period, some five years after he completed his first draft. Although the film is not intended to be autobiographical, he was inspired to write it by his teen experience working one summer for Peggy AshcroftPeggy Ashcroft
Dame Peggy Ashcroft, DBE was an English actress.-Early years:Born as Edith Margaret Emily Ashcroft in Croydon, Ashcroft attended the Woodford School, Croydon and the Central School of Speech and Drama...
.
The film was shot on location in the Tottenham
Tottenham
Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...
, Hampstead
Hampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
and Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill , colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. Its Gothic revival suite of buildingsthe parliament buildings serves as the home of the Parliament of Canada and contains a number of architectural...
areas of London, at locations including the Parliament Hill Lido
Parliament Hill Lido
Parliament Hill Lido, Parliament Hill Fields, Gordon House Road, Hampstead Heath, North London, is next to Gospel Oak railway station. The lido, also known as Hampstead Heath Lido, is a public unheated open air swimming pool, open for 12 months a year...
and the nearby Holly Lodge Estate
Holly Lodge Estate
The Holly Lodge Estate is an estate located on the site and grounds of a villa built in 1798 by Sir Henry Tempest on the south-facing slopes of Highgate, London adjacent to Highgate Rise, now known as Highgate West Hill...
. Other locations included Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and Burnham Beeches
Burnham Beeches
Burnham Beeches is an area of 220 hectares of ancient woodland, located close to Farnham Common, Burnham and Beaconsfield, in Buckinghamshire. It is approximately 25 miles to the west of London, England.-Preservation:...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
.
The soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
includes songs performed by Salsa Celtica
Salsa Celtica
Salsa Celtica are a Scottish musical group famed for playing a form of music that is a fusion of salsa music with traditional Scottish instruments, including elements of folk and jazz.-History:...
, Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release, A Sun Came...
, Nick Drake
Nick Drake
Nicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician. Though he is best known for his sombre guitar based songs, Drake was also proficient at piano, clarinet and saxophone...
, Richard Thompson, Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
, and Ginny Clee
Ginny Clee
Ginny Clee is an English blues rock singer-songwriter and musician.-Biography:Ginny Clee released her first solo album, Hold On Tight in late spring 2005. Formerly one half of The Dear Janes, Ginny has spent the last few years working on this, her first solo album...
.
The film premiered at the Dublin Film Festival and was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
, the Cannes Film Market, the Moscow Film Festival, and the Edinburgh Film Festival before going into limited release in the UK on 8 September 2006.
Critical reception
Stephen Holden of The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said the film "belongs to that hardy niche of British comedies designed as star vehicles for distinguished actresses (preferably Dames) of a certain age whose assignment is to win awards by devouring the scenery." He added, "The screwball ageing diva genre isn't the only formula guiding this stubbornly old-fashioned movie. Driving Lessons belongs to the silly feel-good mode of The Full Monty
The Full Monty
The Full Monty is a 1997 British comedy film directed by Peter Cattaneo, starring Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, William Snape, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber, and Hugo Speer. The screenplay was written by Simon Beaufoy...
, Calendar Girls
Calendar Girls
Calendar Girls is a 2003 comedy film directed by Nigel Cole. Produced by Buena Vista International and Touchstone Pictures, it features a screenplay by Tim Firth and Juliette Towhidi based on a true story of a group of Yorkshire women who produced a nude calendar to raise money for Leukaemia...
, Billy Elliot
Billy Elliot
Billy Elliot is a 2000 British drama film written by Lee Hall and directed by Stephen Daldry. Set in the fictional town of "Everington" in the real County Durham, UK, it stars Jamie Bell as 11-year-old Billy, an aspiring dancer, Gary Lewis as his coal miner father, Jamie Draven as Billy's older...
, Kinky Boots
Kinky boots
Kinky boots are boots with extreme characteristics which are intended to present a dramatic sexy appearance, such as by a prostitute or dominatrix. Extreme characteristics might include very high heels, thigh- or crotch-high length, or unusual colors or materials. They can be related to boot...
and dozens of other celebrations of Britons defying convention to become 'free,' whatever that means. Since any connections between Driving Lessons and the real world are tangential at best, it's a faux liberation: the easiest kind."
Ruthe Stein of the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
observed, "With the aid of a charmingly offbeat story and a jolly good dialect coach, the stars leave you thinking, well done. Their spirited performances help cover up glaring holes in the plot. Whenever Driving Lessons threatens to get off course, Walters . . . steers it in her direction. She doesn't so much steal the movie as borrow it for extended periods and return it with the motor purring."
Gene Seymour of Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
said, "Everybody in Driving Lessons is working very hard to show how affecting and touching their movie can be. Indeed, the collective effort invested in this ragged mongrel of a coming-of-age story may con even the most jaded moviegoer into thinking there's something profound being put forth. Forewarned, you may find it sweet enough to fill an empty afternoon . . . Driving Lessons follows the well-worn path laid down by other, better movies while making strained, ludicrous things happen toward the end."
Ronnie Scheib of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
said, "The forceful [performances] of the two main divas manage to more or less blast away the moral bulwarks of this otherwise conventional coming-of-age story. The fanatic gleam in Linney's eyes as she oh-so-sweetly lays down the law is matched only by the spectacle of her shuddering attempts to control her fury when thwarted. Walters chews up scenery in grand manner, nicely teetering between drunken helplessness and zesty hedonism. Grint, maintaining puppy-dog altruism, holds his own in the matriarchal maelstrom, redheadedly adorable to the end."
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw is a British writer and film critic. He was educated at Cambridge University, where he was President of Footlights.Bradshaw is a film critic for The Guardian...
of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
rated the film three out of five stars and commented, "The movie looks like a lot of other things: Driving Miss Daisy
Driving Miss Daisy
Driving Miss Daisy is a 1989 American comedy-drama film adapted from the Alfred Uhry play of the same name. The film was directed by Bruce Beresford, with Morgan Freeman reprising his role as Hoke Colburn and Jessica Tandy playing Miss Daisy...
, Harold and Maude
Harold and Maude
Harold and Maude is a 1971 American dark comedy film directed by Hal Ashby and released by Paramount Pictures. It incorporates elements of dark humor and existentialist drama, with a plot that revolves around the exploits of a young man intrigued with death, Harold...
, Billy Elliot
Billy Elliot
Billy Elliot is a 2000 British drama film written by Lee Hall and directed by Stephen Daldry. Set in the fictional town of "Everington" in the real County Durham, UK, it stars Jamie Bell as 11-year-old Billy, an aspiring dancer, Gary Lewis as his coal miner father, Jamie Draven as Billy's older...
, Acorn Antiques
Acorn Antiques
Acorn Antiques is a parodic soap opera written by Victoria Wood as a regular feature in the two seasons of Victoria Wood As Seen On TV, which ran from 1985 to 1987. It was turned into a musical by Wood, opening in 2005.-Television version:...
. It doesn't quite develop its own identity. And it's somehow inevitable that Dame Evie's hilarious swearing and opinionating fade away as sentimentality takes over. But it's a great turn from Julie Walters, and a likable film."
Philip French of The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
called the film "dreadful" and added, "A cross between Driving Miss Luvvie and a Children's Film Foundation
Children's Film Foundation
The Children's Film Foundation was a non-profit-making organisation which made films for children in the United Kingdom, typically running for about 55 minutes. It was founded in 1951. For 30 years it was subsidised by the Eady Levy - a tax on box office receipts, but this was abolished in 1985...
remake of Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard (film)
Sunset Boulevard is a 1950 American film noir directed and co-written by Billy Wilder, and produced and co-written by Charles Brackett...
, it's an embarrassment."
Box office
The film earned $239,962 in the US and $990,633 in other markets for a total worldwide box office of $1,230,595.Awards and nominations
At the Moscow Film Festival, Julie Walters won the Silver St. George for Best Actress and Jeremy Brock was awarded the Special Jury Prize. Walters was nominated for the Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or ComedySatellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
The Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy is one the Satellite Awards, given annually by the International Press Academy.- 1990s :- 2000s :- 2010–2019 :...
but lost to Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep
Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep is an American actress who has worked in theatre, television and film.Streep made her professional stage debut in 1971's The Playboy of Seville, before her screen debut in the television movie The Deadliest Season in 1977. In that same year, she made her film debut with...
in The Devil Wears Prada
The Devil Wears Prada (film)
The Devil Wears Prada is a 2006 comedy-drama film, a loose screen adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's 2003 novel of the same name. It stars Anne Hathaway as Andrea Sachs, a recent college graduate who goes to New York City and gets a job as a co-assistant to powerful and demanding fashion magazine...
.