Learning to Drive (2014)

August 21, 2014 (GB) • Drama, Comedy • 105m

Overview

As her marriage dissolves, a Manhattan writer takes driving lessons from a Sikh instructor with marriage troubles of his own. In each other's company they find the courage to get back on the road and the strength to take the wheel.

Director

Isabel Coixet

Writer

Sarah Kernochan

Top Billed

Patricia Clarkson

Keywords

new york city marriage crisis taxi driver sadness driving school cultural difference driving lesson failing marriage marital separation woman director customs agent college student long term relationship period of adjustment driving instructor mother daughter relationship sikhism literary critic

Where to watch

Free / Included

Amazon Prime Video

fuboTV

Amazon Prime Video with Ads

Shout! Factory Amazon Channel

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Top Billed Cast

Patricia Clarkson

Wendy

Ben Kingsley

Darwan

Jake Weber

Ted

Sarita Choudhury

Jasleen

Grace Gummer

Tasha

Avi Nash

Preet

Samantha Bee

Debbie

Matt Salinger

Peter

John Hodgman

Car Salesman

Michael Mantell

Wendy's Dad

Daniela Lavender

Mata

Gina Jarrin

Paige

Rajika Puri

Rasbir (Darwan's Sister)

Beau Baxter

Debbie's Husband

Randy Graff

Divorce Attorney

Sean Cole

Radio Host

Bryan Burton

Student Driver

Mike Massimino

Hothead Crash Driver

Patrick Brana

Crash Passenger

Royce Johnson

Cop

Nora Hummel

Driving Examiner

Lorri Lindberg

Real Estate Broker

Justin Gregory Lopez

Loudmouth Kid

Anna Itty

Sikh Woman

Amelia Fowler

Dollar Store Clerk

Jonathan C. Kaplan

ICE Agent

Harpreet Singh Toor

Priest

Hervender Singh

Darwan's Friend

Crew

Isabel Coixet

Camera Operator

Isabel Coixet

Director

Manny Siverio

Stunt Coordinator

Anu Schwartz

Set Designer

Raquel Cedar

Assistant Property Master

Leslie Zak

Script Supervisor

J. Brent Peebles

Production Accountant

Andrew Brinkman

First Assistant "B" Camera

Radium Cheung

Second Unit Director of Photography

Anton Gold

Production Sound Mixer

Janet Paparazzo

Stunt Coordinator

Tom Cioccio

Second Assistant "B" Camera

David C. Manahan

Boom Operator

Betty Chin

Production Coordinator

Michael Fuchs

Steadicam Operator

Susie Wu

Camera Intern

Corey Gegner

First Assistant "A" Camera

Mary Neary

Second Assistant "B" Camera

Nitasha Bhambree

Stunts

Ronald J. Kochie

Set Medic

Joe Doughan

Dolly Grip

Andrew Sadtler

Best Boy Electric

Alfonso Díaz

Second Assistant "B" Camera

Guillermo Tuñon

Digital Imaging Technician

Christopher Vidaic

Grip

Daisy Zhou

Camera Intern

Dan Brosnan

Second Assistant "A" Camera

Devorah DeVries

Production Manager

James Kelleher

Property Master

Radium Cheung

"B" Camera Operator

Rob Harlow

Key Grip

Curtis Smith

First Assistant Director

Joel Minnich

Gaffer

Abraham Altbuch

Best Boy Grip

James Martin

Generator Operator

Omar Addasi

Electrician

Tim Stacker

Assistant Location Manager

Rylan Buccholz

Set Dresser

Suzanne Morton-Stokes

Wigmaker

Hailey Desjardins

Set Dressing Production Assistant

Scott Brock

Associate Editor

Krystle Poulin

Makeup Artist

Eldo Ray Estes

Makeup Artist

Roy H. Zarow

On Set Dresser

Eugene Gearty

Sound Effects Editor

Brittany Griffin

Assistant Costume Designer

Stephanie Wise

Key Makeup Artist

Bobby Provenzano

Leadman

Mike Myers

Special Effects Coordinator

Branka Mrkic

Dialogue Editor

Marisa Ferrara

Key Set Costumer

Jacqueline Weiss

Key Hair Stylist

Jessica Templin King

Set Dressing Buyer

Herminio Almonte

Set Dressing Production Assistant

Vernon Rodriguez

Location Assistant

Edward Drohan IV

Special Effects Assistant

Vanessa Barzuna

Art Department Production Assistant

Tom Fleischman

Sound Re-Recording Mixer

Aminah Haddad

Wardrobe Supervisor

Melissa Lawson

Costume Coordinator

Nikolas Tsiolis

Set Dresser

Marina Parker

Set Dressing Buyer

Robert Keymer

Special Effects Assistant

Colette Hallinan

First Assistant Accountant

Emilia Spirito

Art Department Coordinator

Laura Lewis

Thanks

Charles Zalben

Location Manager

Tanesha Hartsfield

Production Secretary

Harold Dieterle

Thanks

Lia Mayer-Sommer

Thanks

Michael Legato

Thanks

Eddy Mayer

Storyboard Artist

Joan Juliet Buck

Thanks

Michelle Chang

Attorney

Reed Brody

Thanks

Robert Legato

Thanks

John Stachowicz

Scenic Artist

Eva Radke

Thanks

Lisa Carr

Thanks

Mario Mercado

Scenic Artist

Jerry Minor

Thanks

David Zonshine

Thanks

Philip Stockton

Thanks

Aravindhan Baheerathan

Musician

Davide Rossi

Musician

Pirashanna Thevarajah

Musician

Hunter Stiebel

Thanks

Kenn Rabin

Archival Footage Research

Elsa Ramo

Attorney

Hudson Meredith

Graphic Designer

Richard Hebrank

Construction Coordinator

Pamela Pearl

Casting Associate

Andrew Straw

Additional Production Assistant

Robert Lau

First Assistant Camera

Joseph Wood

Driver

David Boulton

ADR Mixer

Misako Shimizu

First Assistant Editor

Noa Wiener

Set Production Intern

Corie Mandel

Production Coordinator

Toni Calix

Additional Production Assistant

Felix Rivera

Assistant Chef

Adam King

Set Production Assistant

Lindsey Lefkow

Production Manager

Alec Jarnagin

Steadicam Operator

Zachary Sullivan

Gaffer

Travis MacKay

ADR Mixer

Matthew Breitenbach

Digital Intermediate Editor

Kristen Kiyan

Key Makeup Artist

Christopher Carcich

Property Master

Dusan Zachar

Driver

Alberto Peter Villafane

Assistant Chef

Bill Higley

ADR Mixer

Missy Cohen

Music Editor

Philippe Majdalani

Digital Intermediate Producer

Logan Thoreau

Set Production Assistant

Todd M. Hofacker

Actor's Assistant

Margaret Donlin

Stand In

Gavin Curran

Best Boy Electric

Greg Booth

Dolly Grip

Kevin Padilla

Set Production Intern

James Santos

Set Production Intern

Jesse Harbold

Set Production Assistant

Krystal Phillips

Makeup Department Head

Tess Malone

Script Supervisor

Dmitry Volovik

Boom Operator

Julia Solomonoff

Epk Producer

Martin Zeichner

Digital Intermediate Colorist

Katelyn Manley

Actor's Assistant

Brian 'Skip' Whitfield

Assistant Chef

Frank Kern

Foley Editor

Zach Wolf

First Assistant Editor

Adam Barbay

Best Boy Grip

Jonathan Franklin

Set Medic

Marko Costanzo

Foley Artist

Wade Barnett

ADR Mixer

Stephan Prevost

Key Set Production Assistant

Alex Mabred

Actor's Assistant

Hervender Singh

Stand In

Michael S. Chandler

Production Supervisor

Brandon Regina

Set Production Assistant

Julia Solomonoff

Epk Director

Nicholas Cochran

ADR Recordist

Stephen Schaller

Set Production Assistant

Peter Garafalo

Set Production Assistant

Julia Almonte

Additional Production Assistant

David Berman

Digital Imaging Technician

Maria Sylvania

On Set Dresser

Michael Sterkin

Sound Mixer

Kevin Rogers

Stunt Driver

Jason Tobias

Post Production Supervisor

Marissa Littlefield

ADR Editor

Nicholas Williams

Key Production Assistant

Cliff Alphonse

Grip

Kevin R. Wood

Transportation Captain

Michael A. Genco

Driver

Lexi Scholes

Set Production Intern

John Pozzi

Set Production Intern

Veronica Heffron

Set Production Assistant

Alejandro Ramia

Second Second Assistant Director

Killian Sobel

Additional Production Assistant

Molly Sackett

Location Assistant

Mark DeSimone

ADR Mixer

Dion Matthews

Second Assistant Director

Barry Treanor

Driver

Andrew Gilbert

Chef

Shaun Joye

Second Assistant Camera

Noah Rosenberg

Electrician

Leonard Ifield

Driver

Keith Reamer

Additional Editing

Luke Tomalin Sherman

Second Second Assistant Director

Chris Woodrum

Set Production Assistant

Will Gottlieb

Key Grip

Caylena Andres

Craft Service

Jennifer Todd

Executive Producer

Mary Ramos

Music Supervisor

Vicki Farrell

Costume Designer

Dhani Harrison

Original Music Composer

Gabriel Hammond

Executive Producer

Sarah Kernochan

Screenplay

Paul Hicks

Original Music Composer

Declan Mulvey

Stunt Driver

Dan Halsted

Executive Producer

Sarah Hindsgaul

Hair Department Head

Brian Battles

Visual Effects

Lauren McCarthy

Co-Executive Producer

Dania Saragovia

Production Design

Joey Giambattista

Stunts

Melinda Ziyadat

Second Assistant Director

Robert Covelman

Set Decoration

Susan Leber

Co-Producer

Anton Gold

Sound Mixer

Eleni Asvesta

Executive Producer

Dana Friedman

Producer

Daniel Hammond

Producer

Monika Mikkelsen

Casting

Susan Leber

Line Producer

Thelma Schoonmaker

Editor

Maya Hardinge

Makeup Department Head

Harry Patramanis

Executive Producer

Manel Ruiz

Director of Photography

Linda Källérus

Still Photographer

Nicolas Graziadei

Video Assist Operator

Leeah Odom

Art Department Production Assistant

Neil Bleifeld

Video Assist Operator

Michael Papa

Specialized Driver

John T. Kelly

Specialized Driver

Ashley Kravitz

Clearances Coordinator

Dhani Harrison

Scoring Mixer

Paul Hicks

Scoring Mixer

Reviews

Reno

⭐ 7/10

June 14, 2016

> The religious and cultural influence in the modern America.

The second film together for the two lead actors and the director. This film characters were well understood and executed with a full details. It is always women filmmakers who do a fine job like this. While the western world is not able to differentiate between Sikhs and the one who they think these people are for just wearing turban, this film comes in handy to educate them. Especially the youths who are yet to grow up and learn what the real world is. No offense, just saying they are lack of the knowledge.

A simple drama about two people from two different races. Since they meet very often during the driving lessons, an unexpected bond develops between them and begin to understand each others agony despite their cultural gap. It helps them to re-organise their struggling life, but the relationship is put on a tested when it reached at a certain stage. How they react to it and the plan for the rest of their lives reveals before ending the narration smartly.

No twists, but the interesting concept and the choices of the characters makes the film one of the well organised low cost products with a quality of the practical standards. Ben was amazing as usual, and it is his one of the remarkable small roles. Patricia Clarkson too was in a very casual character display as a typical middle-aged American wife going through a crisis.

This film reminds me the 'Midnight My Love'. Somewhat similar film yet culturally differentiates. So this film's not about how good the story is, but the society, how it views a person from outside and inside. It is also about the individual characters on how their life transforms with a new friendship and while learning new stuffs to put behind their bad past. This film suit better for the adults because of the theme on them. So I suggest you if you are one to try this wonderful tale.

7/10

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