The Art of Getting By Review

If you’re a fan of a genre, you can forgive an awful lot of a film’s shortcomings. Personally, despite being old enough to know better, I really like coming of age dramas (The Ice Storm, Adventureland, Almost Famous, etc). As such, I was predisposed to get a kick out ofThe Art of Getting By. The question is, will those not enamoured with tales of teenage boys learning about life and love enjoy it as much?

Freddie Highmore – a veteran of kid films such as Spiderwick Chronicles, Astro Boy, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and others – stars as George, a teen so nihilistic he sees no point in doing any work at his school, despite his intelligence and talent for art, much to the frustration of his teachers. After taking the heat when popular girl Sally – Emma Roberts (4.3.2.1., Scream 4, Lymelife) – the pair begins to develop a tentative friendship.

It isn’t difficult to guess what might happen between the two stars or that George may have to change his position on work in order to graduate, so what joy we take from the film is in its execution. The young leads give truly excellent performances. Roberts in particular is a real talent, with easily as much charisma and charm as her famous aunt. True, she may be playing a very similar role to that which she played in Lymelife – which in turn is a very similar film to The Art of Getting By generally – but given how wonderful her performance was in that, it’s easily forgivable. She’s certain to go onto bigger and better things. Highmore is left somewhat in her shadow, but still manages to ably carry the film on his narrow shoulders (he is in every scene except one, by my count) and attracts some sympathy to what might be a fairly unlikeable character.

That George never really gets a proper dressing down by another character – the majority of his problems are self-perpetuated – is one of the things I didn’t like about the film, but Highmore still managed to win me over in the end. Other niggling concerns, aside from the clichéd nature predictability of the film, are that the pretentiousness of the lead character somewhat bleeds into the film itself, which I could deal with, but may put others off. The title is also kind of rubbish, which again could put people off, which would be unfortunate.

Director and – inevitably – writer Gavin Wiesen exhibits a pleasing talent for composing an aesthetically pleasing shot. He also understands the importance of implication and brevity, meaning the film flows really well and has a pleasant conciseness and never gets lost up its own anus.

The Art of Getting By is not perhaps as great as the aforementioned Lymelife, but it is a stirring and heart-warming film that may – if you’re an ex-teenage boy – cause you to look back your own formative years with ruefulness and affection. I’m guessing that while most people may not have been quite as negativistic as George, many will see something of themselves in the character. Roberts, the star The Art of Getting By shares with Lymelife is also well worth catching in this flawed but lovely film.