learning to drive movie review

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“Learning to Drive” is advertised as a two-hander about life lessons, which is problematic if you’ve cast a cynical, superior gaze toward this type of movie. People finding themselves through some kind of metaphor for perseverance is a topic ripe with hate-watching possibilities. But while several films of this ilk have certainly been worthy of scorn, several others have been very well done. What isn’t readily evident about this film is what makes it far less easy to dismiss: Its lead character doesn’t find herself so much as make minor modifications to an already found personae. The only major thing Wendy ( Patricia Clarkson ) learns about herself is how she drives.

On the surface, “Learning to Drive” has elements of the romantic comedy it never becomes. The opening scene is the opposite of a “Meet Cute” between the main characters. We see Darwan (Sir Ben Kingsley ), a Sikh who teaches people to drive in the morning and drives a cab at night. At his night job, he picks up Wendy and her soon-to-be ex-husband, Ted ( Jake Weber ). Their fight in the back of Darwan’s cab reveals the dissolution of a 21-year marriage due to Ted’s infidelity. In the ensuing mayhem, book critic Wendy leaves a manuscript of the book she’s reviewing in the back of Darwan’s cab. Darwan returns it, and upon seeing his student training vehicle, Wendy asks for his card.

Until this point, Wendy has no desire to drive. She lives in Queens and depends on the usual modes of transportation New Yorkers employ. When she needed a driver, it was usually Ted. Now that he’s run off with an author Wendy has always given rave reviews to (the scene where she discovers this is ripe with an uncomfortably quiet agony), she’s become a Miss Daisy without a Hoke. None of this would matter if her sister Debbie ( Samantha Bee ) and her daughter Tasha ( Grace Gummer , Meryl Streep ’s daughter) didn’t live well outside the New York City limits.

In order to spend more time with her daughter, Wendy takes Tasha’s advice and hires Darwan as an instructor. This leads to what can best be described as a “short-distance road movie.” The characters feel each other out while trapped in the claustrophobic confines of Darwan’s tiny vehicle, their personalities clashing in scenes of comic tension. Darwan maintains a terse, though polite and helpful demeanor, playing the straight man in this comedy duo. Wendy is far more animated and outspoken, even in moments where she’s too terrified to step on the gas.

Thankfully, “Learning to Drive” doesn’t treat Darwan as an Other whose sole purpose is to forward Wendy’s plotline. Equal time is given to his life, forming a counterpoint to Wendy’s experiences. He’s seen praying at temple, interacting with other Sikhs and taking care of his nephew, whom he promised his sister he’d look after in America. When his sister selects Jasleen ( Sarita Choudhury )  as Darwan’s bride and sends her to America, “Learning to Drive” takes the time to show scenes of her struggles to adapt to American life and a husband who’s far from forthcoming about his emotions.

This is the rare film written, directed and edited by women. Writer Sarah Kenochan based her screenplay on an article in the New Yorker. Director Isabel Coixet reteams with her “ Elegy ” co-stars, placing them in areas of New York City rarely seen onscreen. The borough of Queens hasn’t had this loving a shout-out since “Coming to America”.  And Thelma Schoonmaker takes a break from the frenetic world of Martin Scorsese to lend her editing skills to this low-budget indie feature. Her work is especially noticeable in the film’s short, beautiful wedding sequence.

“Learning to Drive” proves that good acting can elevate even the most standard material. Clarkson makes Wendy more than a wronged wife; she has enough self-awareness to consider that she may not be completely blameless in her crumbling marriage. Her anger and melancholy are balanced with a dry wit that yields some big laughs. Kingsley complements her by giving Darwan a sweet vulnerability underneath his authoritative exterior. Thanks to their performances, Darwan and Wendy remain likable despite their occasional self-absorption.

This film is a little too on-the-nose in its automobile-as-freedom metaphors, but that didn’t hurt my enjoyment. I found myself rooting for this small, quiet dramedy to succeed. For the most part, it does just fine. 

Odie Henderson

Odie "Odienator" Henderson has spent over 33 years working in Information Technology. He runs the blogs Big Media Vandalism and Tales of Odienary Madness. Read his answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire  here .

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Film credits.

Learning to Drive (2015)

Rated R for language and sexual content

Grace Gummer as Tasha

Ben Kingsley as Darwan

Patricia Clarkson as Wendy

Sarita Choudhury as Jasleen

Jake Weber as Ted

John Hodgman as Car Salesman

Samantha Bee as Debbie

• Isabel Coixet
• Sarah Kernochan

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Learning to Drive review – touching, insightful and occasionally unpredictable

Patricia Clarkson as a jilted wife and Ben Kingsley as her Indian driving instructor made a great odd couple in this unflashy but dependable comedy

C ertain tasks performed by certain people have an unfair advantage in the gravitas department. When Ben Kingsley, forever associated with Gandhi, says things like “Read the signs” and “You have the light”, it’s going to make his driving instructor sound like a sage. His turban and Indian accent only sell it further to Patricia Clarkson , who plays a rich white lady who, if you want to reduce this movie to its most sour elements, exploits a brown man for her own advantage then leaves him, literally, by the side of the road. But that’s not quite fair to this touching, insightful and, at the end of the day, extremely well-meaning film. It’s a “mom movie” that may not be the flashiest vehicle, but gets to its destination in good condition.

Clarkson plays book critic and public-radio interviewee Wendy Shields, newly dumped by her husband, Ted (Jake Weber). “One of your students?” she asks, upon hearing the news, because they’ve already got the Upper West Side townhouse and college-age kid farming up in Vermont, so why not go for the full Woody Allen-ish trifecta? Turns out Ted has scratched the philandering itch before, but this time it’s serious. (The mature, Switzerland-like daughter played by Grace Gummer delivers this news.) Wendy, an intellectual and lover of words, has independence thrust upon her. Even a New Yorker sometimes has to drive, and with Ted gone, she needs lessons.

Kingsley’s Darwan Singh Tur, a driving instructor who also moonlights as a cabbie (and was witness to their breakup) is Wendy’s guide to standing on her own two feet. She’s a classic Manhattan liberal, he’s a Sikh immigrant living out in Queens. It’s a terrific odd-couple match, and their back-and-forth scenes are charming and sharp. When we think this trip is veering toward an obvious love story, there’s an unexpected detour when Darwan’s arranged bride Jasleen (Sarita Choudhury) enters the picture.

Learning to Drive is based on a short autobiographical short story by Katha Pollit, a long-time political columnist for the Nation. In the original version, her teacher is actually from the Philippines. The film’s adjustment allows us to witness anti-Arab sentiment in New York, even towards people who aren’t Arab. (When Darwan shows his papers and says he’s been a citizen since 2000, the cop mutters: “In just under the wire, huh?”) Isabel Coixet, whose 2008 Philip Roth adaptation Elegy also featured Clarkson and Kingsley, goes in with just a drizzle of liberal guilt while others would pour it on. Darwan is a “good man” but not a saint. The film’s best sequences are in his tightknit Sikh community, where life is a mix of struggle and warmth.

Clarkson is just terrific as the half-assured, half-scatterbrained woman on the cusp of retirement age, but who still has plenty of fire left. Kingsley, good even in bad movies (such as recent examples Self/Less and Exodus: Gods and Kings) is warm and vulnerable and, like Geoffrey Rush in The King’s Speech, is one of those inspiring teachers you always wished you had.

Thankfully this version of Learning to Drive doesn’t end with Wendy finding happiness by shacking up with some new beau. (I think long-in-the trenches feminist Pollitt would set herself on fire in the film studio’s parking lot before letting that happen.) But the movie is, undeniably, a little bourgeois. Wendy’s triumph involves buying (not leasing!) a new car to ride up the Henry Hudson Parkway to the leafy vistas of New England to see her daughter. On a critic’s salary? Well, it is the movies.

• Comedy films
• Ben Kingsley
• Drama films
• Romance films
• Patricia Clarkson

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Review: ‘Learning to Drive’ well worth the trip

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Providing a welcome, grown-up escape from all that summer escapism, director Isabel Coixet’s “Learning to Drive” is a richly observed, crosscultural character study that coasts along pleasurably on the strengths of its virtuoso leads.

Freshly dumped by her longtime husband, Manhattan book critic Wendy Shields (Patricia Clarkson) is struggling to take control of the life she thought she knew.

Having never driven a car before, she takes lessons from Darwan Singh Tur (Ben Kingsley), a highly principled Sikh driving instructor who’s about to be married to a woman from India whom he has never met.

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It’s a given that this certified odd couple will affect each other’s lives in unexpected ways. While the script, based on an autobiographical New Yorker magazine article, goes a bit heavy on the driving metaphors, the director gets maximum mileage out of their performances.

Coixet previously directed Clarkson and Kingsley in the 2008 film “Elegy.” Here, Clarkson’s Wendy credibly fights a losing battle disguising her vulnerability beneath her tough New Yorker exterior; Darwan may have the patience of a saint, but he’s no Gandhi, and having already been there, Kingsley imbues his character with some spirited contradictions.

“Learning to Drive” may might not cover fresh ground, but with Clarkson and Kingsley behind the wheel, it makes for a lovely excursion.

--------------------------

“Learning to Drive.”

MPAA rating: R for language, sexual content.

Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.

Playing: ArcLight, Hollywood; Landmark, West L.A.

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Review: ‘Learning to Drive’ Charts a Culture-Bridging Friendship

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By Stephen Holden

• Aug. 20, 2015

Among the charms of “ Learning to Drive ,” a small, observant dual portrait of a New York book critic and her Indian-American driving instructor, are the detailed, lived-in performances of its stars, Patricia Clarkson and Ben Kingsley. The film belongs to a school of grown-up, low-drama two-handers, of which the most famous example is “Driving Miss Daisy,” but “Learning to Drive” isn’t half as sentimental. As this movie, directed by Isabel Coixet, tracks the deepening friendship between people from different cultures and backgrounds, it acquires an unforced metaphorical resonance.

Wendy Shields (Ms. Clarkson) is a high-strung Manhattan literary star whose marriage explodes when her husband, Ted (Jake Weber), abruptly leaves her for another woman. Adapted from an essay in The New Yorker by the feminist author Katha Pollitt, the movie lightly touches on many subjects: divorce, rage and financial warfare; conflicting philosophies of marriage; and mother-daughter strife.

In the concise, droll screenplay by Sarah Kernochan (“Impromptu,” “9 ½ Weeks”), the seven-year relationship described in Ms. Pollitt’s essay has become a 21-year marriage, the better to illustrate the chasm between Indian and American marital customs and to suggest that the American ideal of unlimited personal freedom has its price.

Wendy is an upper-middle-class woman of letters with a highbrow reputation. One of her saddest realizations when abandoned is that her marriage might have lasted had her passion for literature not taken precedence. This is the rare film that conveys the intense, private experience of the dedicated reader.

Like many longtime New Yorkers, Wendy has relied on public transportation. Only when her marriage ends does she realize that she has to learn to drive if she wants to visit her fiery college-age daughter, Tasha (Grace Gummer), on a farm in Vermont.

Her driving teacher, Darwan (Mr. Kingsley), is a Sikh Indian and part-time cabdriver who shares a drab Queens apartment with fellow Indian immigrants, some of whom are in the country illegally. There is a raid in which several roommates are chased out of the house. In India, Darwan was a university professor, imprisoned for his religious beliefs. He won political asylum in the United States.

Wherever he goes, Darwan, conspicuous in his turban, faces possible harassment. When Wendy, flustered and fearful behind the wheel, damages another vehicle, Darwan is assumed by the police to be responsible until Wendy steps in. The chemistry between Darwan and Wendy has an unspoken romantic subtext, but the attraction never bursts into flame. Ms. Clarkson , with her Cheshire cat smile and twinkling eyes, conveys the mysterious allure of a sensual woman with secrets. Under her seductive charm percolates a volatile, combative temperament.

Mr. Kingsley’s penetrating brown-eyed gaze can project everything from pure evil to near-divinity, and in “Learning to Drive,” his demeanor is benign but not holy. With his stiff-backed posture and alert expression, he projects an unflappable self-control, even when Wendy has a near-meltdown on the Queensboro Bridge. His lessons in patience and concentration convey a calm, farsighted perspective steeped in Eastern philosophy.

Darwan is about to enter into an arranged marriage with Jasleen (Sarita Choudhury), a Sikh woman of whom he knows next to nothing beyond that they were born in neighboring villages. With Jasleen, as with Wendy, he is stern but polite, persistent but not authoritarian. Even when he realizes, to his disappointment, that Jasleen is uneducated, speaks poor English and is scared to leave the house, his frustration never boils over.

Moments of humor gently tilt “Learning to Drive” toward comedy. In the wittiest scene, a blind date that turns into a one-night stand leaves Wendy wrung out after a protracted session of tantric sex. Such little detours add a lighthearted gloss to a delicate film that steers clear of preaching or of slipping into mawkishness.

“Learning to Drive” is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). Strong language and some sexual content.

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Learning to drive, common sense media reviewers.

Empathetic drama treats mature themes with warmth.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Making other people happy in a relationship isn

Darwan is a kind, gentle man with a strict code of

Two men rough up an immigrant, making racial slurs

One sex scene shows a couple in the throes of pass

Multiple uses of "s--t," "f--k,&quo

Several scenes feature Chevrolet cars, including o

A woman mopes around her home with many half-drunk

Parents need to know that Learning to Drive is a well-acted, beautifully written, and sensitively shot dramedy about finding yourself at a midlife crossroads you didn't expect. This story about finding your own way is most appropriate for older teens and adults, who will be better able to understand its…

Positive Messages

Making other people happy in a relationship isn't always easy; it's much too easy to ignore their needs and focus on yourself. Themes also include identity crisis, marital discord, and cultural displacement.

Positive Role Models

Darwan is a kind, gentle man with a strict code of honor who must learn a bit more about himself in order to figure out how to make his new wife happy. Wendy also needs to learn more about who she's become to learn why her marriage fell apart.

Violence & Scariness

Two men rough up an immigrant, making racial slurs as they push him around and knock his turban to the ground.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

One sex scene shows a couple in the throes of passion, moving vigorously and making plenty of noise, with the woman's breasts visible. A soon-to-be-divorced couple argues about their waning sex life. The woman later covers the same topic with her sister, including a somewhat graphic discussion about oral sex.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Multiple uses of "s--t," "f--k," and "a--hole."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Several scenes feature Chevrolet cars, including one sequence in which a woman excitedly buys her first new car at a Chevy dealership.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

A woman mopes around her home with many half-drunk bottles of wine on the counter, suggesting that she's been drinking alone, a lot. Adults also drink wine at meals.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Learning to Drive is a well-acted, beautifully written, and sensitively shot dramedy about finding yourself at a midlife crossroads you didn't expect. This story about finding your own way is most appropriate for older teens and adults, who will be better able to understand its mature themes of identity crisis, marital discord, cultural displacement, and more. Expect some swearing (mostly sparing use of "s--t" and "f--k"), a vigorous sex scene in which a woman's breasts are visible, a bit of graphic sex talk, a little violence (racists rough up an immigrant), and a subtle reference to drinking during a woman's darkest days. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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What's the Story?

Wendy ( Patricia Clarkson ) finds herself bereft when her husband of 21 years leaves her for a younger woman. As a lifelong New Yorker, she never learned to drive -- and now she has no way to get around easily beyond the city's borders, which she wants to do, in part so she'll be able to visit her daughter, who will soon be living on a farm in Vermont. With some trepidation, Wedny takes on a new challenge: LEARNING TO DRIVE. In the process, she becomes friends with Darwan ( Ben Kingsley ), the Indian immigrant who serves as her instructor, and they both realize they can absorb important life lessons from each other.

Is It Any Good?

What a delight when a film surprises you with its warmth, empathy, and deep understanding of the human condition -- especially when it's wrapped up in a seemingly trite premise. Such is the joy of Learning to Drive , which has not just one but two impressive leads in Clark and Kingsley, as well as great supporting actors like Mamie Gummer and Jake Weber . The whole cast offers viewers authentic performances, elevating an already pretty good movie close to greatness.

Learning to Drive also makes the most of New York City as its backdrop, though not in the same cliched ways many other films do. The borough of Queens comes alive; the arteries and highways seem nearly as essential as the subways. But it's the movie's exploration of starting over and its strong translation of the (obvious) metaphor inherent in the premise -- a woman learns to drive after the husband she has relied on to ferry her everywhere has left her -- that makes it so memorable.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Learning to Drive 's characters. Are they role models ? Why or why not? What makes someone a role model? Do people have to be perfect in order for others to look up to them?

How does Wendy's failed marriage differ from Darwan's new relationship? Why is it so hard for him to figure out how to make his wife happy? What is the movie saying about relationships?

Movie Details

• In theaters : August 21, 2015
• On DVD or streaming : January 19, 2016
• Cast : Patricia Clarkson , Ben Kingsley , Mamie Gummer , Jake Weber
• Director : Isabel Coixet
• Inclusion Information : Female directors, Female actors, Indian/South Asian actors
• Studio : Broad Green Pictures
• Genre : Drama
• Topics : Friendship
• Run time : 89 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : language and sexual content
• Last updated : April 1, 2023

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Learning to Drive Reviews

An absolutely delightful and searingly smart take on modern life, romantic relationships and friendship.

Full Review | Oct 12, 2021

Director Coixet is a first class filmmaker...

Full Review | Sep 29, 2021

I believe Learning to Drive, for a thoughtful adult audience, could be a lead-in to a wonderful conversation about attitudes toward life, especially in the face of loss.

Full Review | Sep 13, 2021

A touching movie that isn't so much about the destination - frankly that part is a mild let down - but about the journey and the words. The pleasure of the film is taking the trip and listening in to these two professionals deliver them.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Feb 3, 2021

If you're interested in something that goes down smoothly and doesn't try to challenge you in any way, you might find this bit of escapism worth your while.

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Jul 14, 2020

This is a gently woven story; small yet nourishing, and well worth the ticket price.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 29, 2019

While there are a few genuinely funny moments, Learning to Drive isn't the feel-good comedy it's meant to be.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | May 2, 2019

The movie struggles with tone.

Full Review | Original Score: C- | Apr 19, 2019

If only Coixet and Kernochan would flirt with danger a little more in their filmmaking, we could have had a more memorable film on our hands.

Full Review | Original Score: 6/10 | Mar 7, 2019

LEARNING TO DRIVE basically takes the Hollywood blueprint about what a film about new beginnings should be and turns it into a Happy Meal that has been replicated umpteen times over.

Full Review | Original Score: C- | Mar 1, 2019

Learning to Drive makes me wish we had never met Wendy. Her story is self-indulgent and uninspiring.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/10 | Aug 30, 2018

Isabel Coixet brings us an insightful, refreshing and mercifully cliché-free look at a woman in her early 60s learning to start over through learning to drive.

Full Review | Aug 22, 2018

With creative writing and adept acting, it's a film that will transport you to a better place in life.

Full Review | Aug 21, 2018

This odd couple has much to learn from each other - and I'm not talking about parallel parking. Their scenes together are well-written and deftly acted. As they should be, with two of Hollywood's most accomplished pros behind the wheel.

Full Review | Original Score: 7.5/10 | Dec 3, 2017

Sarah Kernochan supplies an insightful screenplay that deals with illegal immigration, arranged marriage and institutional racism along the way to a touching and cleverly unexpected ending.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 23, 2017

[It] has its own concerns and addresses them simply and winningly.

Full Review | Oct 11, 2017

[Patricia] Clarkson, the ultimate WASP and [Ben] Kingsley, born Krishna Pandit Bhanji, are very good together.

Full Review | Aug 21, 2017

Learning to Drive... is a satisfyingly grownup movie. Its stakes are gentle but real. Its characters behave decently yet feel strongly, and their parallel worlds are unfair if occasionally joyous.

Full Review | Jul 28, 2017

In Learning to Drive, the conversations and 'lessons' exchanged ( ... ) feel too scripted; life lessons disguised as driving lessons, deliberate and contrived.

Full Review | Mar 23, 2017

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LEARNING TO DRIVE – The Review

Review by Cate Marquis

Patricia Clarkson and Ben Kingsley give us a pair of well-drawn, likeable characters as a New Yorker learning to drive from a Indian-American driving instructor, in LEARNING TO DRIVE.

LEARNING TO DRIVE is the kind of little film – smart, often funny, thoughtful – for grown-ups seen too little in theaters.  But what really makes this film are the careful crafted, lived-in performances by Kingsley and Clarkson.

A cross-cultural  story about two people driving around might bring “Driving Miss Daisy” to mind, but this film is really nothing like that sentimental tale. Although this story is built around a New Yorker learning to drive, the film is really about taking the wheel of one’s own life, a lesson for both the student and the teacher.

In St. Louis, like most of the country, nearly everyone learns to drive, usually as a teenager. In New York, it is a different case. Many people never learn to drive there, instead using public transportation and cabs. So it takes a certain courage and determination for a middle-aged woman to decide to learn to drive in a culture where not everyone does.

Patricia Clarkson plays Wendy Shields, a successful, well-known book critic whose college professor husband suddenly announces he is leaving her for another woman. Her husband gives her the news at a restaurant, hoping to limit the drama, but when he tries to leave, shocked Wendy jumps in his cab and continues asking him why The cab driver, a South Asian immigrant named Darwan (Kingsley), politely pretends not to hear what is going on in his back seat but he is clearly moved by her heartbroken reaction. The husband asks the cabbie to pull over, gets out and tells the cabbie to drive her home.

The next day, Wendy finds comfort from the couple’s only child Tasha (Grace Gummer), who is home from her college in upstate New York. Tasha wants to be supportive but turns down her mother’s request that she transfer to a university in town. So if Wendy wants to see her, she’ll have to drive there. Which means, she will have to learn to drive. When she calls a driving school, the instructor that shows up at her door is the same cabbie who drove her home, the second of his two jobs.

This film takes a smart, drily witty, literary spin that quashes any drift towards the sentimental. The strength of this charming, warm, often funny film is the appealing characters Clarkson and Kingsley build up. The two actors have great chemistry together and bring a little romantic attraction, never acted on, that gives a little extra boost. A lesser film would make this all about the New Yorker, but this film rounds out both characters.

Because of the cab ride, Darwan understands a little more of what Wendy is going through and as he guides her through the basics of driving, he builds up her confidence for taking control of her own life. Darwan’s calm effortlessness in teaching these dual lessons suggest this is not the first time he has helped a middle-aged New York woman find new self-confidence in driving. However, as the story unfolds, Darwan and Wendy become more like friends, and Darwan learns from Wendy as well as the reverse, as he faces his own life changes.

Darwan lives in Queens, in an apartment he shares with a bunch of other Sikh men, a minority religion in the Indian subcontinent men. Most of his roommates, including his nephew, are not in the country legally but Darwan is a legal resident, granted political asylum to escape persecution for his religion and political beliefs. Back home, he was a professor at a university, here he teaches driving and moonlights driving a cab. An immigration raid scatters his roommates and he finds himself living alone, which prompts him to finally agree to his sister’s plan to find him a wife in their village back in India, an idea he had resisted previously.

Since Sikh men wear turbans, they are often mistaken in this country for Muslims, and the film touches on that fact in one scene. While Wendy copes with her pending divorce, her role in the its end and explores her new life, Darwan gets some help from her about romancing his new wife, who arrives uncertain about adjusting to her new country. The film keeps things light but always intelligent

LEARNING TO DRIVE is a charming little film, with fine performances, appealing characters and nice little message about both friendship and learning something new, no matter your age.

LEARNING TO DRIVE opens Friday, September 4, at Plaza Frontenac Cinema.

OVERALL RATING: 4 OUT OF 5 STARS

Photo Credit: Broad Green Pictures

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‘Learning to Drive’: A fine vehicle for Patricia Clarkson, Ben Kingsley

A review of Isabel Coixet’s “Learning to Drive,” which pairs two fine actors en route to an enchanting connection. Rating: 3.5 stars out of 4.

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Every now and then a movie comes along that, while breaking no new ground, leaves its viewers quietly happy, the way you feel after a not-very-eventful afternoon with a beloved friend. Isabel Coixet’s “Learning to Drive,” which showcases two great actors finding an enchanting connection, is one of those films. Patricia Clarkson, she of that marvelously velvet voice, is Wendy, a Brooklyn book critic whose husband (Jake Weber) has left her for another woman; Ben Kingsley, all quiet yet mesmerizing dignity, is Darwan, a Sikh Indian cabbie whom Wendy, still simmering over the betrayal, hires to teach her how to drive.

From here, the movie proceeds as a series of set pieces. We see Wendy in her book-filled home, drinking too much wine, arguing with her grown daughter (Grace Gummer) and trying to make sense of what’s happened to her. We see Darwan in his dark Queens apartment, as he prepares for an arranged marriage to Jasleen (Sarita Choudhury), whom he meets only when she arrives at the airport, carefully carrying her wedding dress. And, mostly, we see Wendy and Darwan together in his instruction car, as Wendy nervously navigates streets that suddenly seem terribly foreign while Darwan intones soothing advice: “Every time it will get easier.” “Teach yourself to see everything.” “You can’t always trust people to behave properly.” (“Ain’t that the truth,” murmurs Wendy.)

All this is perhaps too spot-on a metaphor for Wendy’s new life — “Today you are going over a bridge,” announces Darwan, right on schedule with Wendy’s recovery — but it doesn’t matter a bit; spending time with these two characters, and these two expressive faces, is a pleasure. (As is Clarkson’s slyly funny imitation of an NPR voice, when Wendy does a radio interview; she’s so purry you look for the catnip.)

Movie Review ★★★½  

‘Learning to Drive,’ with Patricia Clarkson, Ben Kingsley, Jake Weber, Sarita Choudhury, Grace Gummer. Directed by Isabel Coixet, from a screenplay by Sarah Kernochan. 89 minutes. Rated R for language and sexual content. Seven Gables, Lincoln Square, Pacific Place.

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Movie review | Learning To Drive: So-so film nevertheless great as vehicle for stars

Learning To Drive - not to be confused with the Corey Haim/Corey Feldman vehicle License To Drive - comes from an autobiographical 2002 New Yorker article by essayist Katha Pollitt.

In the magazine piece, later published in a Pollitt collection of stories, the longtime nondriving Manhattan resident bounces back from a breakup with a womanizing jerk (I'm taking her point of view) by grabbing the wheel of her own life - through driving lessons.

At one point, Pollitt imagines using her newfound skills to commit vehicular homicide on her ex.

Nothing quite so fanciful occurs in the movie, which is decorous and civilized in the extreme.

Yet it is well-acted by Patricia Clarkson as a New York book critic and Ben Kingsley as her fastidious Sikh driving instructor. Wendy (Clarkson) is navigating an unwanted divorce and has a daughter (Mamie Gummer) working on a Vermont commune whom she would like to see more. Her instructor, Darwan (Kingsley), is negotiating a difficult new life in an arranged marriage to an Indian woman (Sarita Choudhury of Mississippi Masala ).

Student and teacher become friends, with the tantalizing promise of something more.

The adaptation by screenwriter Sarah Kernochan (a co-writer of 9 1/2 Weeks , to name another film not to be confused with this one) is directed with supreme tact by Isabel Coixet.

Her earlier works include Elegy , also featuring Kingsley and Clarkson. That film, based on a Philip Roth story, was male-centric.

It would be nice if Learning To Drive imagined a fuller inner life for Wendy, but Clarkson develops a push-pull rapport with co-star Kingsley that fills in the blanks - or, rather, mitigates the script's on-the-nose tendencies.

The performers' speaking voices - his like an oboe, hers like a different oboe - convey a worldliness and mysterious wisdom, often in a single word.

The movie isn't much, but the drivers pass with flying colors.

Learning To Drive . Directed by Isabel Coixet. MPAA rating : R (for language, sexual content) Running time : 1:30 Now showing at the Crosswoods and Drexel theaters

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Learning to Drive review: Ben Kingsley's moving avatar helps combat America's Sikh phobia

The film is as much about the universal themes of love and loss as it is about two different worlds.

New York: Spanish director Isabel Coixet’s new film, “Learning to Drive,” is a charming, coming of (middle) age comedy about a mismatched pair — a Sikh driving instructor and a liberal Manhattan intellectual — who help each other overcome life’s road blocks. As this movie, tracks the deepening friendship between a Sikh immigrant working two jobs and a well-heeled Upper West Side book critic, it builds a bridge for hope and tolerance.

In a raw, sensitive performance Patricia Clarkson provides the movie’s guts as Wendy, a fiery book critic, grappling with her philandering husband’s desertion. As work-obsessed Wendy sets out to rebuild her life without her husband, she runs into a barrier common for New Yorkers: she’s never learned to drive. Of course, deliverance is round the corner in the shape of Oscar winner Ben Kingsley who plays to perfection Darwan Singh Tur, a chivalrous, dignified, resilient driving instructor who also moonlights as a taxi driver (and was witness to Wendy’s messy breakup in the backseat of his cab).

Proud and Sikh

The film is as much about the universal themes of love and loss as it is about two different worlds. It comes with an uplifting message about tolerance; encouraging people to embrace change and difference. It exposes the stereotyping that’s become all too common for Sikhs in 9/11-scarred America. Wherever he goes, Darwan, conspicuous in his bright pink or blue turban, faces possible harassment. When Wendy, flustered and fearful behind the wheel, hits another car in rain-soaked Queens, Darwan is subject to overt racism. A group of young men abuse him roundly, calling him a “raghead” and Osama bin Laden. The police are as unhelpful: he is assumed by the police to be responsible for the accident until Wendy steps in.

Kingsley said he was attracted to the film because of the “cast, director and script” but had a special reason for gravitating to his character Darwan. It represents the first time in Hollywood history that a Sikh character has been placed in a leading role. It’s also the first time a Sikh character is being played by a big-name Hollywood actor.

“As a portrait artist, why would I want to paint a delicate portrait of Darwan? Why does any portrait artist, walking down the street, suddenly feel, ‘I need to paint her. I need to paint him’? They would say, ‘I don’t know, I just need to paint him.’ I was told in the aftermath of 9/11, it was the Sikh taxi drivers who turned off their meters, saw people in distress and asked, ‘Where do you want to go? Whom are you looking for? I’ll get you there.’ When I heard that story, having begun to occupy Darwan, a voice in me said, ‘Of course.’”

According to Kingsley, while filming in costume as Darwan at a car dealership in Queens, a passerby hurled a racist insult at him and the group of nearby Sikhs.

“So as I move through this film,” Kingsley said, “I’m getting angels and devils all sent to me, guiding me towards the way to tell Darwan’s story.”

Sadly, Sikhs have found themselves frequent targets of hate-based attacks in the US since 11 September. To undiscerning eyes, the turban has somehow got terribly mixed up with Osama bin Laden’s headgear. In August 2012, white supremacist Wade Michael Page strode into the Wisconsin gurdwara brandishing a handgun and killed six Sikhs. Despite America’s efforts at being a pluralistic society, the Sikh Coalition says 60 percent of turban-wearing boys are harassed in schools and the bullying has just got worse after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Director Isabel Coixet has taken pains to recreate Darwan’s Sikh immigrant world, right from his dingy apartment to the bustling life of the Richmond Hill gurdwara. Asked what she liked the best about the Sikh community, Coixet joked, “The food!” While filming in Queens, home to 50,000 Sikhs, the director often found herself in the gurdwara’s langar, where everyone is welcome to a free meal regardless of their colour or religion.

Terrific Odd Couple Match

The director has created an impressive and perceptive portrait of two strong personalities in extreme circumstances and two worlds. Wendy is an Upper West Side liberal fighting to keep her beloved, book-filled apartment and way of life: novel launches, fundraisers, radio appearances. The “Sikh in the colorful turban” is a political refugee from Punjab and naturalized US citizen, who lives out in Queens in a drab basement apartment with fellow Indian immigrants, some of whom are in the country illegally.

It’s a terrific odd-couple match, and their car scenes are funny, moving and warm. The driving lessons become a metaphor for learning to live: Kingsley shows Clarkson how to take control of the wheel and the rapport between the gifted actors makes for on-screen magic. There’s a moment of real connection, however ephemeral, between the two main characters which transcends race and status.

However, when we think this trip is veering toward an obvious love story, there’s an unexpected detour when Darwan’s arranged marriage bride Jasleen played masterfully by Sarita Choudhury enters the picture. Audiences who loved the sophisticated, urbane, sultry actress when she debuted in Mira Nair’s “Mississippi Masala” will appreciate her acting chops as she transforms into her polar opposite: a proud Jatni born and bred in Punjab now thrown into the melting pot of Queens with a smattering of English.

“You know, all Indian fathers, when you say you’re going to be an actress, they just beg, ‘No, please. That’s not a job.’ But when I was talking to my father after I’d won the role, and I told him I was going to be working with Sir Ben Kingsley, it was almost as if he believed that I was an actress, and I did finally have a real job — because I was working with Gandhi! So, it was very moving,” Choudhury said after the premiere for “Learning to Drive” in New York.

The director acknowledged Choudhury’s brilliant performance saying she brought a chameleon-like talent to the role. “Sarita is exactly the opposite of Jasleen. She is an amazingly cultivated woman, a thorough New Yorker, sexy and very smart but she transformed into this unlettered woman Jasleen. I love her and I want to work with her in a film in Italy.”

“Learning to Drive” is based on feminist author Katha Pollitt’s humorous, soul-searching essay that originally ran in the “ New Yorker ,” relating her experiences taking driving lessons. In the original version, Pollitt’s teacher is from the Philippines.

The film’s screenwriter Sarah Kemochan made the adjustment to allow viewers to witness turban phobia and anti-Muslim sentiment in 9/11-scarred New York, even towards people who aren’t Muslim. The writer also wanted two characters, who are both residents of New York but live worlds apart from each other, and “then just let them loose on each other.”

Despite a small budget, Isabel’s directing creed attracted classy actors like Patricia Clarkson, Ben Kingsley, Sarita Choudhury and Jake Weber. Isabel was also able to shoot efficiently as her actors knew each other, having acted together in other films. They have great chemistry and the director has tapped into that vibe to create a layered film. Moments of humor and a good script gently tilt “Learning to Drive” toward comedy. The film has an appealing honesty and an enjoyably low-key comic style.

The film is playing in US theatres this week and will have a limited release in India later this year.

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‘Learning to Drive’ movie review’ — 3 stars

“Learning to Drive” tells the story of a well-off Manhattan woman getting a divorce, who decides that it is time for her to fulfill the title of the film so that she can visit her daughter living on a farm in Vermont.

Patricia Clarkson plays Wendy, a magazine writer who is in the midst of a divorce from her husband. It’s a particularly difficult breakup for her, and it comes with the bad news that she’s also going to have to move and she partially losses her mobility — she never learned to drive and she had relied on her husband to drive her around.

In what would be a meet cute in a lesser movie, a tearful Wendy is taken home by cabdriver Darwan (Sir Ben Kingsley, superb). He returns the next day in his other vehicle — the car he uses as a driving instructor — to return some items left in the cab from the night before.

Darwan is a Sikh Indian refugee living in Queens who is about to meet the woman he is arranged to marry. His daily routine involves dealing with various hateful comments from people, which he handles through prayer. The Sikh community is portrayed so richly here, and one wishes we could spend much more time with Darwan and that world.

Kingsley and Clarkson, reuniting with their “Elegy” director Isabel Coixet, have many intimate scenes — discussions sitting shoulder to shoulder — about driving, relationships, racism and life.

The bond formed between Darwan and Wendy is of instructor and student and student and instructor. Conversations about relationships and driving are filled with metaphors and dual meanings.

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Movie Review: Learning to Drive (2014)

• Howard Schumann
• Movie Reviews
• No responses
• --> January 7, 2016

Based on a short story by Katha Pollit, a columnist for the Nation magazine, Learning to Drive is a small movie with a big heart. While the film is risk averse and will not be mistaken for a timeless work of art, its story of two middle-aged people of vastly different backgrounds assisting each other in a time of crisis will leave you with a warm glow. Directed by Isabel Coixet (“Another Me”) with a screenplay by Sarah Kernochan (“Sommersby”), Learning to Drive is about Wendy (Patricia Clarkson, “ Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials ”), a writer and book critic, whose 21-year marriage to Ted (Jake Weber, “ White House Down ”) has just ended in a toxic confrontation in a taxicab and has to move outside of her comfort zone to regain her self-confidence.

Deeply distraught by the separation, Wendy wants to get away from New York City to visit her daughter Tasha (Grace Gummer, “ The Homesman ”), a college student who is working on a farm in Vermont, but doesn’t know how to drive. The driver of the taxi, Darwan Singh Tur (Ben Kingsley, “ Ender’s Game ”), a former college professor in India and now a part-time driving instructor who was the unwitting witness to the marital breakup, does. After he returns an envelope that Wendy left in his cab, Wendy hires him to provide driving lessons and soon discovers that he is a calming influence who has a lot to teach her other than how to put on the brakes.

Wendy’s devotion to the written word has restricted her willingness to challenge the outside world. Darwan leads her through her fears with patience and charm and encourages her to keep pursuing her goal even after she fails her driving test. During the lessons, however, he has to handle her road rage and lack of self-confidence as well as cope with his own incidents of racism coming from other motorists and pedestrians, one who refers to him as “Osama” and rips the turban from his head. Darwan is about to be married in a union arranged by his family according to Sikh tradition and tells Wendy that his family best knows his needs and that such a crucial decision should not be left to random choice.

When his bride Jasleen (Sarita Choudhury, “ The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 ”) arrives from India, however, she is bewildered by her new environment, remains in the apartment, fearful of meeting people and her fears are confirmed when Darwan seems troubled over her lack of education. It is a time of transition for both of them and it will call upon all their resources of patience, tolerance, and understanding to see it through. Learning to Drive is marked by outstanding performances by Clarkson and Kingsley who bring a special understanding to their roles and put us in touch with the beauty of sharing who we are with others, even when it is uncomfortable to do so.

Tagged: divorce , marriage , New York City , short story adaptation , writer

I am a retired father of two living with my wife in Vancouver, B.C. who has had a lifelong interest in the arts.

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LEARNING TO DRIVE

"pleasant comedy mixed with unpleasant content".

What You Need To Know:

(PaPa, Ro, B, FRFR, PC, LLL, V, SS, NN, M) Strong, somewhat mixed pagan worldview, with light Romantic and moral elements and overt false religion including some Romantic and hedonistic elements, some references to Sikhism, especially in a Sikh wedding ceremony and during visits to a Sikh temple where people are praying silently, but no Sikh doctrines are mentioned and movie also implicitly promotes fidelity in marriage, and American woman gives Indian man some positive pointers on how to relate better to his new bride, who’s a stranger to him because the marriage was arranged, and she’s new to America and not as familiar with or as interested in intellectual things as he is, and movie mocks man who’s obsessed with Hindu tantric sex ideas from India, plus some light politically correct implications concerning immigration; about 22 obscenities (including some “f” words), five strong profanities and 12 light profanities; small car wreck, people get upset a couple times; depicted fornication sex in bedroom scene, man leaves wife for another woman, crude verbal reference to oral sex in one scene, implied adultery, and married man asks divorced woman out to dinner, but she politely declines, wanting to remain just friends; rear female nudity in one scene, rear male nudity in one scene and upper male nudity in a couple scenes; alcohol use; no smoking; and, legal immigrant protects his illegal nephew from immigration officials, and illegal nephew hides from officials during raid.

More Detail:

LEARNING TO DRIVE is a comedy about a recently divorced, middle-aged American woman in New York developing a friendship with an immigrant cab driver from India who teaches people, including her, how to drive. It’s mostly a pleasant comedy with wry observations about male-female relationships, but there’s some strong lewd content that will turn off the audience for this movie.

The movie opens on a middle-aged literary critic, Wendy, whose husband has left her for another woman, who just happens to be one of Wendy’s favorite female authors. Trying to reclaim her independence, and hoping to be able to drive to Vermont to visit her daughter, Wendy decides she better learn how to drive. She picks Darwan, a soft-spoken cab driver from India who also teaches people how to drive on the side. Darwan is also trying to protect his nephew, an illegal alien, from immigration officials. Meanwhile, he’s anxiously awaiting the arrival of his new bride, a marriage his relatives back home have arranged for him.

The comedy comes because Wendy is a nervous wreck, due to her anxiety about her future, while Darwan has no idea how to relate to his new wife. Their unlikely friendship helps them gain the insights they will need to start their new lives and embrace their future.

Most of LEARNING TO DRIVE provides a really pleasant time at the movies. Patricia Clarkson as Wendy and Ben Kingsley as Darwan are perfect together on screen. Sadly, the movie gets an R rating for salty language, including some gratuitous “f” bombs and strong profanities, plus a scene where Wendy goes to bed with another man on their first date. The man says he’s a fan of “tantric sex,” which makes this bedroom scene much more explicit than it should have been. Of course, the bedroom scene was completely unnecessary anyway, but, as it is, it’s even more inappropriate.

Thus, media-wise audiences will want to stay away from LEARNING TO DRIVE, despite its positive qualities. The filmmakers have greatly misjudged the audience for this movie, and their movie will suffer for this mistake at the box office. LEARNING TO DRIVE could have been a big hit as a PG-13, or even PG, movie. Its R-rated content will turn off the kind of people who would be attracted to just such a story as this. What were they thinking?

LEARNING TO DRIVE also has some references to Sikhism (“Seek-ism”), but they are meant to establish character and atmosphere rather than to indoctrinate (Darwan is a Sikh). In fact, the movie doesn’t even mention any of the theological doctrines of the Sikh religion (in doing so, however, the movie unintentionally may imply to some viewers lacking discernment that Sikhism is just like Judaism or Christianity). To its credit, the movie mocks the middle-aged American guy who likes tantric sex practices (which are based, in part, on Hindu philosophy and theology). The movie treats his obsession like a joke rather than a serious subject.

That said, LEARNING TO DRIVE has a pagan, somewhat mixed worldview with Romantic and moral elements. It implicitly affirms fidelity in marriage and frowns on adultery.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

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September 15, 2015 Movies » Movie Reviews

Film Review: "Learning to Drive" 

• PHOTO COURTESY BROAD GREEN PICTURES
• Ben Kingsley and Patricia Clarkson in "Learning to Drive."

"Learning to Drive"

(R), Directed by Isabel Coixet

Now playing

In the opening scenes of the pleasant but totally unremarkable "Learning to Drive," Wendy, a fragile Manhattanite book critic played by Patricia Clarkson, learns that her husband has been seeing someone else and he plans to leave her (something he's apparently tried several times before, though it appears that this time it's going to stick). The worst of their ensuing argument happens in the backseat of the cab driven by Sikh political refugee Darwan (Ben Kingsley), who returns to her home the next day to give back the purse she left there. A driving instructor by day, he offers her lessons in the film's central metaphor, as Wendy -- who always depended on her husband and public transportation to get around -- must learn to get outside her comfort zone and dig into the messy, dangerous thing we call life.

The two inevitably develop a friendship, growing and learning from one another -- even if their relationship seems awfully one-sided, as it remains unclear exactly what Darwan gets out of the deal. Both actors are better than the material they're given, though Kingsley is saddled with the role of noble minority, and the character too often descends into stereotype. Clarkson gets more to play, but the actress deserves more. The film does gain some layers with the arrival of Darwan's bride, Jasleen (Sarita Choudhury), through an arranged marriage. Her tentative steps into a new culture and environment are more insightful than anything that precedes it, but the film ends just as it seems it's finally about to get interesting.

Tags: Movie Reviews , Film Review , Learning to Drive , Isabel Coixet , Ben Kingsley , Patricia Clarkson

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Learning to drive movie review.

• Film Review
• 8/19/2015 7:52:00 AM
• View Count 3976

Wendy (Patricia Clarkson) loves words. She always has. Unfortunately, her job as a New York literary critic took precedence over building up her marriage. Yet, she’s still shocked when Ted (Jake Weber), her husband of 21 years, suddenly leaves her for another woman. This leaves Wendy in a pickle as she relied on him as a driver. Although the thought terrifes her, she decides to learn to drive in order to visit Tasha (Grace Gummer), her college-age daughter, in Vermont.

Enter Darwan (Ben Kingsley). An Indian-American, part-time New York cabbie and part-time driving instructor, Darwan is a gentle soul, devoted Sikh, and exudes calmness. Darwan witnesses the marriage-ending argument between Wendy and Ted in the back seat of his cab then kindly returns a package Wendy absentmindedly left there that fateful night.

Coming from opposite cultural worlds, Wendy and Darwan develop an unlikely friendship as they spend time in the car. Wearing colorful turbans, Darwan experiences daily racial profiling. When Wendy causes an accident, the men involved harass Darwan until Wendy steps in, berating them for their prejudice. She respects Darwan even though she does not understand why Darwan has entered into an arranged marriage with Jasleen (Sarita Choudhury), a woman he doesn’t even know.

Neither Wendy nor Darwan are perfect people but then, who is? After being set up on a blind date, Wendy sleeps with the guy. Darwan critiques almost everything his new bride does but each, in their own way, searches for meaning in their lives.

Learning to Drive , directed by Isabel Coixet, represents a refreshing break from all the big-budget films of the summer.  Its quiet conversations show two people interacting and growing close without the intrusion of romance. Yes, there are some sparks flying, but Wendy gently turns down Darwan’s dinner invitation, showing great integrity. She tells him, “You’re a good man,” and she doesn’t want to get in the way of his developing relationship with his new wife. Darwan takes the opportunity to look at Jasleen with kinder eyes and dedicates himself to working on their relationship.

Although there are a few morality issues with this film from a Catholic perspective, I believe Learning to Drive, for a thoughtful adult audience, could be a lead-in to a wonderful conversation about attitudes toward life, especially in the face of loss. Loss does not mean only death. We each experience little losses every day. How do we deal with them? Do we ask for help from God and others? Do we wallow in the sadness or do we work though it? How we respond has much to do with the way we see life. Are we like Darwan, calm and generally positive, or negative and insecure, like Wendy? No matter where we fall, we always have the power to change for the better with each choice we make.

About the Author

Sister Hosea Rupprecht is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul, a religious community dedicated to evangelization with the media. She holds a Master of Theological Studies degree from the University of St. Michael’s College in Toronto and an MA in Media Literacy from Webster University in St. Louis. 

Sr. Hosea is director of the East Coast office of the Pauline Center for Media Studies, based in Staten Island, NY, and speaks on media literacy and faith to catechists, parents, youth, and young adults. Together with Father Chip Hines, she is the co-host of Searchlight, a Catholic movie review show on Catholic TV. Sr. Hosea is the author of  How to Watch Movies with Kids: A Values-Based Strategy,  released by Pauline Books & Media. 

For the past 15 years, she has facilitated various film dialogues for both children and adults, as well as given presentations on integrating culture, faith and media.

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The Long Game

In 1955, five young Mexican-American caddies, out of the love for the game, were determined to learn how to play, so they created their own golf course in the middle of the South Texas deser... Read all In 1955, five young Mexican-American caddies, out of the love for the game, were determined to learn how to play, so they created their own golf course in the middle of the South Texas desert. In 1955, five young Mexican-American caddies, out of the love for the game, were determined to learn how to play, so they created their own golf course in the middle of the South Texas desert.

• Julio Quintana
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Did you know

• Trivia In March of 1921, the Twelfth Calvary Regiment voted to form a country club which became the San Felipe Country Club. The San Felipe Country Club included a nine-hole golf course that is located on the San Felipe Springs. This was the first course built by John Bredemus who went on to design many notable courses such as the Colonial in Fort Worth, TX. In 2016, the City of Del Rio took over the golf course and renamed it to the San Felipe Springs Golf Course.

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• Apr 14, 2024
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• April 12, 2024 (United States)
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• Runtime 1 hour 46 minutes

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