MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

Freaktana A Major Disappointment

Brainsbell The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

Tobias Burrows It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

zif ofoz In a conversation between Wendy and Darwan, Wendy discovers that the woman Darwan is about to marry was chosen for him by his sister back in India and he has never met her. Wendy states that if her sister had chosen a husband for her he would be some dickless sap. Darwan responds, 'Yes - That is why you are alone and crazy!'. A clash of cultures in this statement? Yes. But it is also a very judgmental statement by Darwan which is in direct contradiction to his other more inner peaceful statements to Wendy.Learning to Drive is a delightful and entertaining story expertly directed by Isabel Coixet. The characters keep your attention and the viewer will both empathize with them and question their motives. Patricia Clarkson gives an excellent performance as a hyper and frustrated professional writer dealing with her sudden life changing situations and career demands. Ben Kingsley seems to be always good in his roles. The movie is worth watching.My only beef with the message given in this story is the statement made by Darwan I quote above. This statement shows the true contempt toward women of this Sikh man. Is he being kind and patient with Wendy because he is expected to by living in the US or is it of his nature? Wendy comes across as one person. Darwan comes across as two persons. There is Darwan in public then Darwan in private. He has chosen to live in the US, which puts some greater value on the individual, but Darwan still lives and thinks as if he is in India. This story centers around Wendy and her breakup with her husband but the story is more about Darwan living in one country and thinking he's still in his home in India and rejecting western values.

Gino Cox "Learning to Drive" is a small film. It's a total chick flick about rather ordinary people with fairly mundane problems. It doesn't offer any momentous insights into the human condition or any brilliant morals about the meaning of life and our purpose on this planet. It is somewhat familiar and fairly predictable with a by-the-numbers structure. It does leave several loose strings lying about. There's a subplot and theme about immigration and xenophobia that adds little and goes nowhere in particular, although it does make Darwan's life seem more multifaceted. There's a romantic subplot involving a banker that seems like it might be an important plot development, but fizzles out. There's an unexpected proclamation of love that doesn't feel earned. Wendy gives Darwan advice that we expect him to accept in some demonstrable manner, but he never does. After suffering several significant financial setbacks, Darwan surrenders one source of income. Patricia Clarkson does a really good job with the role. However, the characters seem a little unbalanced in terms of the ages of the actors and the timeline of the story. At fifty-six, Clarkson plays a woman who has been married twenty-one years to a guy played by an actor five years her junior who looks like he might be in his mid-forties and has a daughter played by a twenty-nine-year-old actress. The actors don't fit the ages of the characters they portray very well, which is distracting despite solid performances. Production values are adequate. There are quite a few shots of actors driving cars and they never seem unrealistic. A few jiggly-cam shots are slightly distracting, but they actually seemed to use a tripod or other camera mount for other shots. A few edits are abrupt and distracting. In general the production values are adequate. My greatest frustration is the lack of a solid moral. Although it is an unabashed chick flick, the moral seems a bit anti-feminist at times. Girls, if you want to keep your men interested, get off your butts, improve yourselves and be more adventurous in the bedroom. And buy some sexy underwear. Overall, a modest production unlikely to stir strong feelings in any direction. It's not very funny or very dramatic. But it offers a seemingly realistic view into the lives of some very ordinary people.

quincytheodore Let it be known that I wish Ben Kingsley was my driving instructor, my old one was not friendly, that jerk just yelled at me constantly. Learning to drive can be an outright stressful experience, but the movie makes it interestingly light and approachable by using comedic clash of personalities and cultures. Also, props to the leads for realizing the modest troubled characters.Wendy (Patricia Clarkson) is a distraught wife who just finds out that her husband is cheating on her. Thus begin the arduous dance of divorce. Meanwhile, she's decided to take driving lessons as a cathartic act. Darwan (Ben Kingsley) steps in as the instructor. Both of them have a set of unique problems and serendipitously find solace in each other's company.For a leading female in New York, Wendy is a mess. It's not just Sex and The City mess, but complete wreck for about half of the movie. It's a humble depiction of character as she struggles to come in term with the divorce. The movie maintains a less melodramatic tone, this is a more realistic depiction and not a flamboyant drama.Ben Kingsley plays as a Sikh here, at this point he can play any role extremely well, but it's nice to see him as someone other than some viceroy in medieval epic. There's a great respect to his Indian heritage and it easily looks genuine. He appears to be a calm voice of reason, although his life itself isn't perfect. It's rather humbling to see that someone with mentor persona deals with his own problems.The film doesn't have striking development or twist, it's just a few strolls of a metropolis with two relatable characters. It presents a nice presentation, taking time to display the city's nuance with good cinematography as well as spicing the story with steadily flow of light humor. The scenes feel involving even though the two leads live very contrasting lives.Learning to Drive is a lighthearted drama with nice addition to comedy and amazing acting. Highly recommended for casual audience for the humble and modest nature will soothingly entertain wide range of viewers.

Sonofamoviegeek I agree with the positive reviews of this movie, especially the acting performances of Patricia Clarkson and Ben Kingsley. It's too bad that the story doesn't ask too much of Sarita Choudoury as she's capable of more. It's just great to see that older actors aren't left out of the rom-com genre but that's likely one reason why this movie isn't more popular. There may be some expectation out there that love happens only when one is under 30. When love overcomes age as well as cultural and religious barriers we tend to ask "How did that happen". Instead we should sit back and watch how it develops in Learning to Drive.The other reason Learning to Drive may not be popular is that we somehow expect that love must be always consummated. If Wendy and Darwan did develop their friendship beyond the point of achieving Wendy's goal, that would be doing the wrong thing. Darwan is religious as well as married. We should be happy that he's learned how to relate to a woman and use these new skills on his marriage. And Wendy finally learns how to relate to her daughter and not be work focused.Learning to drive is a must-see