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Because of the tight schedule of filming Harry Potter films, moviegoers don't get to see the three main Potter characters in other movies. So it was a pleasant surprise to see Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley, have his own starring role in a British film called Driving Lessons (2006).

The sypnosis of Driving Lessons is Ben (Rupert), a seventeen-year-old boy with a very religious mother (Laura Linney) and father, begins to work for a retired actress named Evie Walton (Julie Walters). While Ben is shy and reserved, Evie is eccentric and vulgar. Both of their world collides as they begin to form a close friendship that reshapes each other's lives in the end.

Julie and Rupert have worked together before in the Harry Potter movies as mother and son, and their already developed chemistry shines in the movie. It's even safe to say that both Julie and Rupert carries the whole film from beginning to end. There are many funny scenes between them, and Julie's character is just full of one-liners that will have you laughing. The movie also does a fine job adding some dramatic scenes that involves Ben and his father.

Driving Lessons, however, is the center stage for Rupert's maturing acting skills and plays the quiet and shy boy perfectly. The emotional, mental and spiritual changes Ben goes through is acted out and expressed very well by Rupert. My only dislike is not enough dialogue exchanged between Ben and his father. I thought the father was a more interesting character than Laura Linney's take as a strict, devoted mother.

In the end I think Driving Lessons is great for those who enjoy coming-out-of-age films. Plus it's already out on DVD so shelling out less than $5.00 to laugh and be charmed by a British film is worth it.