As the indie film circuit grows in popularity, so does the amount of films that feel like they were penned by screenwriters trying to channel their inner film undergrad. While enjoyable, “The Art of Getting By” feels like its title, as the characters never really go any deeper than what is expected of them and the story becomes extremely predictable by the halfway mark.
Freddie Highmore plays George, a lethargic and thankfully not angst-filled senior at a New York arts prep school who has no drive to do his school work, but has great artistic talent – shown by the doodles he sketches in textbooks – as well as his intellect. He just skates through his high school career doing as he pleases, but not in a troublesome manner, just kind of how every kid would have liked to during their teen years.
But this has made him somewhat of a loner, until he encounters one of the more popular students, Sally (Emma Roberts), by taking the fall for her when she is almost caught on the roof of the school smoking. Sally takes this as a sign of endearment and the two become friends, however not dating, no matter how some of the scenes play out.
This plot device is central to the rest of the film, as the chemistry shows for the two leads, but Highmore does well at hiding George’s emotions, much like a shy teenage boy would when he begins falling for a friend, especially when the friend continues to send mixed signals that straddle the line of friendship and romance. And while the actors portrayed their characters well enough, the story just isn’t quite there, turning what could have been something special into just another typical “well-off teens have relationship and life problems” piece.
Roberts is charming, but not spectacular, and Highmore shows that he has acting abilities that will allow for a nice career. However, his American accent was mediocre at best, making it hard at times to really get into the spirit of the film, and with the setting of the story, it would have been believable to make George a Brit. The rest of the cast was also decent, which included Alicia Silverstone as an English teacher that sees our protagonist’s potential, and Rita Wilson, who plays George’s caring, but stressed mother.
Procuring both writing and directing credits in his first feature is Gavin Wiesen. Much like Highmore’s acting, Wiesen proves that he is a competent story teller and director, but his script just never escapes the ruse of the genre. It becomes more and more clear what will become of Sally and George and the film as a whole falls into stereotype.
However, it is still a nice little picture with very likable characters and a good message that, while very prominent, is not bashing: “Don’t wait too long to act on a good opportunity.”
DIRECTOR: Gavin Wiesen SCREENWRITER: Gavin Wiesen PRODUCERS: Patrick Baker, Jonathan Gray CAST: Emma Roberts, Freddie Highmore, Alicia Silverstone, Rita Wilson MPAA RATING: PG-13
