The Art of Getting By (12A) – 83 minutes 2011

The Art of Getting By (12A) – 83 minutes 2011

I expected to hate it. An angst- ridden youth in search of himself, disrespectful at home, disengaged at his school. A lovely companion whose advances he ignores and dysfunctional parents oblivious to it all. But it was better than I thought, the two leads, in particular, surprisingly good.

The story is simple. Disenchanted young George (Freddie Highmore) meets lonely young Sally (Emma Roberts). They soon fall in love but neither dares admit it and as the great bard would have it, true love runs not smooth.

We ought to dislike George – he does everything he can to push us away. He is arrogant, he is thoughtless and entirely self-absorbed and yet somehow we like him and feel for his plight. We, like his mother, (nicely underplayed by Rita Wilson, the wife of Tom Hanks), overlook the bad behaviour. We like his headmaster (Blair “LA Law” Underwood – his first big screen role in quite a while) are glad he’s not expelled and we like his teacher (a barely recognisable Alicia Silverstone) see only what is good.

Highmore is impressive and has really come of age, long gone the child actor of Neverland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Here is an adult in control of his role. Hiding himself away in a long winter coat, he is outwardly fatalistic and disillusioned with life. But inwardly he burns with a passion to paint but dark, haunting doodles are the best he can manage. He needs a spark to ignite him and that spark is Sally.

Roberts is good although her role is less demanding and her character less complex. Touching and tender she opens up his soul, enters his world and likes what she sees. The cast - including a short cameo from Steven Spielberg’s daughter, Sasha - makes the most of debut writer / director Gavin Wiesen’s limited framework but the dialogue is crisp and the duration (less than 90 minutes) about right. Look out for the two leads of whom much more will be seen.

Much better than expected, but wait for the DVD. 5/10
DM
September 2011