Learners (2007)

Bev is a downtrodden housewife who's failed her driving test eight times, having only been instructed by her impatient husband Ian. After registering with a driving school, she develops a crush on her instructor, Chris.

Director:

Francesca Joseph

Writers:

Jessica Hynes, Francesca Joseph (conception)

Stars:

Jessica Hynes, Shaun Dingwall, Richard Glover

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jessica Hynes	...	Beverley
Shaun Dingwall	...	Ian
Richard Glover	...	Examiner
David Tennant	...	Chris
Tameka Empson	...	Gloria
Sarah Hadland	...	Fiona
Con O'Neill	...	Gerry
Mathew Baynton	...	Howard
Laura Solon	...	Ivana
Jordan Long	...	Bailiff
Danny McEvoy	...	Alfie
Megan Jones	...	Juanita
Kyle Summercorn	...	Toby
Michael Maloney	...	John
Simon Day	...	Simon

Storyline

Hopeless driver Bev Baldwin has failed her test eight times, on the last attempt colliding with a parked milk float, to the dismay of loser husband Ian. At the suggestion of work colleague Gerry she enrols at his mistress Fiona's driving school and is taught by the shy, lonely Chris who gives her confidence so that her driving improves. But when Ian is made redundant and cannot afford more lessons he resumes teaching her and the old faults come back so she steals from her daughter's school trip fund to pay for more lessons. Her next test goes brilliantly - until she sees Ian and goes to pieces when he tries to stop the car. Ultimately she passes at her tenth attempt after her driving has averted a domestic crisis and paved the way for an upturn in the family finances whilst Fiona, realising that she is being used by Gerry, gets it together with Chris.

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Plot Keywords:

driving school | driving test | f rated | test result | police escort | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 November 2007 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

BBC Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Hynes was inspired to write the script after taking ten years to pass her test.

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Goofs

It is mentioned a few times that Chris the driving instructor works for the "DVLA" - the driver and vehicle licencing agency. In fact, he would be registered with the "DSA" the driving standards agency.

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Connections

Referenced in Parkinson: Episode dated 5 May 2007 (2007)

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Soundtracks

Take Your Wheel
Music and Lyrics by Jessica Hynes
Arranged and Performed by Mitch Benn

User Reviews

Some Good Things but Lacking

I was prepared to be totally charmed by this film, but my overall feeling is that it lacked something vital that I can't exactly put my finger on. The acting was marvelous, as is expected from the likes of David Tennant and Jessica Hynes, but I didn't feel like the movie reached the peak of either humor or emotion that it could have reached. That's not to say there were no excellent moments. Some scenes were very humorous, and it definitely proved that bad driving is amusing to watch. Ultimately, I think a main problem with the film was its length. At 90 or so minutes, it did not have adequate time to develop all of the characters and subplots properly. I think if it had been a full two hours it could have been much better. Overall, I found it mostly light and fun with few memorable moments.