Movie #1314 ........................."Learning to Drive"

Movie #1314 "Learning to Drive"  is a movie I sat down to watch tonight with different ages (two older) and at first I was embarrassed because of the language (it's rated R for it) and a couple of love scenes, but if you look beyond those, it's a very enlightening film about a lot of subjects, handled well by more than capable actors, the great Ben Kingsley, and the equally great Patricia Clarkson (and what looked to be a mostly female tech crew). She's just been dumped after 20+ years of marriage for another woman ---- she has depended on her husband for everything--- she can't even drive!  and now she  decides she must learn, and Kingsley  becomes her teacher, her friend, and maybe something more......and as their relationship builds, they grow into better people because of it.  And we do , too, by watching their journeys.  It is an unusual film that shows you what it is like to be Indian (but labeled Muslim) meeting up with white upper middle class --- you don't think they have a lot in common, but a real relationship can develop if there's listening mixed in with a little respect for each other.   A good lesson for us all in this day and age, I think.  I would give this 4 stars out of 5 --- wish it didn't have the language, but it's there.


"LEARNING TO DRIVE"       2015    R      1 hour 30 minutes

When soon-to-be-divorced Wendy Shields signs up for driving lessons, her instructor is Darwan, a Sikh immigrant to America. Though their cultural perspectives are poles apart, the two begin to develop a bond that transcends their differences.

Cast: Patricia Clarkson, Ben Kingsley, Jake Weber,