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Driving Lessons

Driving Lessons

Comedy · Drama · 2006

A shy teenage boy trying to escape the influence of his domineering mother, has his world changed when he begins to work for a retired actress.

Movie details

Driving Lessons

2006 Comedy · Drama 1h 38m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.1 / 10

Community rating

A shy teenage boy trying to escape the influence of his domineering mother, has his world changed when he begins to work for a retired actress.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Driving Lessons?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Jeremy Brock

Written by

Jeremy Brock

Laura Linney

Laura Linney

Laura Marshall

Rupert Grint

Rupert Grint

Ben Marshall

Julie Walters

Julie Walters

Evie Walton

Michelle Duncan

Michelle Duncan

Bryony

Oliver Milburn

Oliver Milburn

Peter

Tamsin Egerton

Tamsin Egerton

Sarah

Nicholas Farrell

Nicholas Farrell

Robert

Court is in session

Put Driving Lessons on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.