Sometimes it's a good idea to brand out and try something new. Cheery, feel-good comedies have not been familiar territory for Spanish filmmaker, Isabel Coixet, director of somber, serious dramas My Life without Me, Elegy, and The Secret Life of Words. Her next film, Learning to Drive, is decidedly more light-hearted, and reunites her with Elegy co-stars Ben Kingsley and Patricia Clarkson. Coincidentally it also has to do with starting over and taking some new chances. Here's the synopsis:
Academy Award nominee Patricia Clarkson and Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley star in this feel-good, coming of (middle) age comedy about a mismatched pair who help each other overcome life’s road blocks.
Wendy is a fiery Manhattan author whose husband has just left her for a younger woman; Darwan is a soft-spoken taxi driver from India on the verge of an arranged marriage. As Wendy sets out to reclaim her independence, she runs into a barrier common to many lifelong New Yorkers: she’s never learned to drive. When Wendy hires Darwan to teach her, her unraveling life and his calm restraint seem like an awkward fit. But as he shows her how to take control of the wheel, and she coaches him on how to impress a woman, their unlikely friendship awakens them to the joy, humor, and love in starting life anew.
While the poster is corny as heck with Kingsley smiling devilishly in his dastar, this actually looks like a charming little film about people of different cultures coming together, not as lovers but as friends. Also starring Grace Gummer, Jake Weber, and Samantha Bee, Learning to Drive opens August 21st.
Learning to Drive TRAILER 1 (2015) - Ben Kingsley, Patricia Clarkson Romantic Comedy HD by Movie Trailer
