Movies like this

Absolute first one that comes to mind? 'My Fair Lady', actually. Any of those Pygmalion-based stories.

Depends on "what you think the movie is about". For me, it's about Rita's instinctual feeling that "there's more to life than this...and I WANT more". Or, in her words, she wants " a better song to sing". Her problem is... she doesn't really have the tools to tell "better" from "different". The film's about her journey of discovery. Her discovery that what she wanted was to seem like Michael Caine's middle-class students - to understand the "buzzwords", but having got that far, what she really wants is more than the mere appearance.

Three movies seem to fit the template.

"Billy Elliot", about a miner's son who wants to cross class and cultural barriers and become a ballet dancer (a film which stars "Rita" as his mentor!)

"Local Hero" about a Texan oil man who's life is essentialy empty. He's sent to a remote Scottish village to negotiate its purchase to build an oil terminal... and is slowly seduced by the village's sense of community. He becomes a different peson, with completely changed values. Same story as "Rita", but in reverse: riches to rags!

"1984" Harder to explain the connection. Winston Smith lives in a regimented society which demands unquestioning loyalty, and regards love as a "subversive activity". He feels that there must be more to life than obedience to The Party and devotion to its leader. Rita's held back by social conformity: her family don't want her to change. Winston's held back by a police state. If they find out he has "dreams", he'll be arrested and shot. He tries anyway... and fails.

Hope that helps!

There are continual rumours that the story of the "Operatunity" amateur-to-professional transformation talent contest is going to be turned into a movie. Tesco's checkout girl to starring at Covent Garden? Maybe sometime in 2008 (According to the ex-Tescos checkout girl, last time we spoke!)

And there's a Clive Owen movie (based loosely on a true story) about how the prisoners from Leyhill Open Prison took up gardening, and won a medal at the Chelsea Flower Show. I forget the name.

How about "Saving Grace"? Brenda Blethyn is brilliant as a helpless housewife whose crooked husband dies, leaving her indebted and penniless: a housewife about to be evicted from her (beautiful) house. She has to learn to be practical... and in a very funny movie with a great cast, puts her only real skill to work: gardening. She becomes a wholesale cultivator of cannabis. It's another "journey of self-discovery" with a warm feel-good (and very British) feel to it.

You should definitely check out Les Choristes:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0372824/

Great movie about how a new teacher at a boy's school changes their lives.


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"I'm running this monkey farm now, Frankenstein!!!"

Good Will Hunting can be compared to this movie....in fact, i'm on IMDB right now looking up info on both movies for a film criticism review that i need to write for both Ed. Rita and Good Will Hunting. check it out, its a great movie

...of course.

Oh Lord, you gave them eyes but they cannot see...

And how about Dead Poet's Society. Not so much about an individual wanting more, but about how someone can have a profound impact on someone else's life (or lives in this instance) even if they are only in it for a short period of time. And as an English teacher, too, Robin Williams' character in DPS changes the attitude to literature that comes from his students' almost institutionalised minds.

No no no!! Stop slashing things!!
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"Born Yesterday" features similar characters as "Educating Rita".

Willy Russell has another play that follows a similar theme: "Shirley Valentine".

I watched this movie recently, and felt the writing and dialog style seemed similar to "Shirley Valentine". When the credits rolled and mentioned it was Willy Russell writings, I immediately understood the obvious reason why.