Driving Lessons

                  I’m not really sure what to say about this film.  To be honest, it’s kind of strange.  For most of the film, I wasn’t even sure where the story was going.  Then all of a sudden this film turned from strange to warm-hearted.  When that happened, I knew I had to write about it.      

                Ben (Rupert Grint) is seventeen years old and trying to get his driver’s license.  Unfortunately when Ben takes his test he fails miserably.  This means there will not be a license in the immediate future and he must continue taking driving lessons from his mother (Laura Linney), Laura.  This is not what Ben wanted.  Less time with his mother would have been much preferable.  A very controlling woman, Laura often uses her religious beliefs to get what she wants.  If anyone ever tries to argue against her, Laura is always ready with a response as to why she is right and they are wrong.  This creates for a very tense household.  Robert (Nicolas Farrell), Ben’s father, has been run over by Laura for so long that he has turned into a very reserved man.  This leaves Robert unable to fully open up to his son.  With a controlling mother and a distant father, there isn’t anywhere for Ben to turn for guidance.  All that is left for him to do is wander around lost.

                This wandering is what leads Ben to Dame Evie (Julie Walters).  Laura has insisted that Ben get a job so he can give the money he earns to their lodger.  Mr. Fincham (Jim Norton) is staying at their house while he “recuperates” from running over his wife with a car.  Laura believes that the money Ben earns should go to Mr. Fincham to help the man get back on his feet.  Not knowing what else to do, Ben finds a job, and the whole adventure begins.

                The job Ben finds is probably not what Laura expected him to get.  Instead of working in a shop, or something else along those lines, Ben agrees to work for the former actress Dame Evie Walton.  Pretty much Ben does whatever Dame Evie wants.  Since she lives mostly on whims, what Evie wants from Ben could really be anything.  An eccentric woman, Ben does not know how to handle Evie.  He’s used to following rules and having a set way of living.  Dame Evie does what she wants when she wants.  Her emotions change constantly.  She’ll have arguments with her garden.  When she wants Ben to do something he’s reluctant to do, Evie will make up a story to guilt Ben into going her way.  This behavior quickly becomes wearing on Ben and it is not long before he tries to quit, but Evie refuses to let him.  Instead she takes Ben on an adventure, knowing full well it’s completely against his mother’s wishes.    

                First, Ben and Evie go camping.  Expecting it to be a day trip, Ben insists after a certain amount of time that they return home.  Not having any intention of shortening her camping trip, Evie pretends to swallow the car key.  Distraught, the only things for Ben to do is stay with Evie at the campsite and call home when he gets the chance.  When Laura hears what has happened to Ben she threatens to call the police with the claim that Ben has been kidnapped.  Not wanting a spectacle, Ben refuses to tell his mother where he is.  He finishes his call with his mother and goes back to Evie, fully expecting he will return in the morning.

                Dame Evie has other plans.  When the car key suddenly reappears, Evie tells Ben they are now on their way to Edinburgh for a book festival.  Ben protests knowing he must get home, but Evie tells Ben she is dying and that this book festival is important to her.  She is expected to read some poems at it and that is something she does not want to miss.  Reluctantly Ben agrees to take her, and very quickly everything between them begins to change. 

                I think it’s at this point where the story starts to become warm-hearted. Dame Evie begins to let Ben see her true self, and they both figure out how important they are to each other. With Evie, Ben is able to change so much. She has him do things I don’t think he ever thought he would do, including driving. The entire time Ben and Evie are on their road trip it is Ben behind the wheel. Through Evie, Ben is also able to start thinking for himself and stand up to his mother in his own quiet way. What’s refreshing though (and here I’m going to talk about the ending) is that even though Ben does gain a new sense of confidence, he does not believe he has all the answers. A lot of movies about teenagers imply that once the film is over the main character knows exactly what he or she is going to do and they will definitely achieve it without any hindrances. That is not the case with Ben. Nowhere in the film does Ben act as though he knows it all. His feelings with everything are always mixed. Even at the end Ben is not fully sure what he wants to do with his life, but now, because of Evie, he has thoughts. It’s with these thoughts that Ben is going to go out into the world and explore, see where it lands him, just as Dame Evie taught him to do.