Driving Lessons Review by Paul Greenwood
a delightful example of that lesser spotted beast - the British road movie
Seventeen year old Ben (Grint) spends his summer holiday as an assistant to Evie (Walters), an aging and fading actress. He's doing it partly for the money (for driving lessons) but mainly it's to get away from his domineering but hypocritical mother (Linney) and put upon father. Initially threatening to be a bit of a sitcom, 'Driving Lessons' eventually emerges as a messy but fun series of adventures, before morphing delightfully into that lesser spotted beast - the British road movie. The laughs are big (Walters' delightful turn conjuring most of them), the performances charming and sentiment is kept largely at bay. And don't worry if it all goes a bit off the rails towards the end - the journey is far more important than the destination. [Paul Greenwood]