Educating Rita (1983)

It's never too late to reach for something more, though the journey often changes you in ways you never expected. Lewis Gilbert's "Educating Rita," adapted by Willy Russell from his hit stage play, stars Julie Walters as Rita, a spirited, sharp-witted hairdresser from Liverpool who feels there must be more to life. Bored with her job and under pressure from her husband to start a family, she enrolls in an Open University literature course, determined to better herself. Her tutor is Frank Bryant (Michael Caine), a disillusioned, hard-drinking professor and failed poet who long ago stopped caring about his work. At first, Frank is baffled by his unconventional new student, but her hunger to learn and refreshing honesty slowly bring him back to life. As Rita blossoms into a confident young woman with a world of new possibilities, Frank finds himself falling for her even as he sinks deeper into drink - and fearing that in helping her grow, he may be losing the very spark that drew him to her. Nominated for three Oscars, including Best Actor, Best Actress and Russell's screenplay, it's funny, warm and wise.