The rom-com streak continues. Susan White (Julie Waters) is a hairdresser looking to better herself. She's not sure what she wants, except More. So she decides to call herself Rita and begins taking lessons in literature from a Cambridge professor, Dr. Frank Bryant (Michael Caine), a disillusioned alcoholic.
I was concerned this was going to be a gross Pygmalion story, kind of a modern My Fair Lady, but thankfully, it is not. Waters is very good as Susan née Rita, channeling the vulnerability and desperation of seeing a life you don't want rolling out in front of you. Caine is fine. He's given better and worse performances. There's a subplot about Bryant's girlfriend cheating on him with his friend that's clearly meant to be funny but comes off as tone-deaf. The whole thing could have been cut and it would have changed nothing.
This is not available for streaming without a VPN, unfortunately, but it's surprisingly good for it's age so keep an eye out while you're sailing the Bay, matey, yarr.
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