The new film from director Isabel Coixet and written by Sarah Kernochan, Learning to Drive is currently playing in New York and Los Angeles. Though we haven’t seen the film, we’re happy to share this featurette about the hardworking women that brought the film starring Ben Kingsley and Patricia Clarkson to life. While Kingsley has been a venerable screen presence since his Oscar-winning turn in Gandhi, Patricia Clarkson is one of the must undervalued actresses working today. Always reliable whether it be The Maze Runner, Parks and Recreation, or Shutter Island, it’s refreshing to see Clarkson in a leading role. Keep your hands at 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock and your eyes on the road, because Learning to Drive expands to San Francisco, Boston, Phoenix, and Chicago this weekend.
The Extraordinary Women of ‘Learning to Drive’
Patricia Clarkson’s recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live:
The official synopsis for Learning to Drive:
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.
