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How to Be (2008) 5.3
A young man having an existential crisis convinces a Canadian self-help guru to come to London and become his personal life coach. Director:Oliver Irving |
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Robert Pattinson | ... | ||
| Rebecca Pidgeon | ... |
Mother
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Powell Jones | ... | |
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Jeremy Hardy | ... | |
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Michael Irving | ... |
Father
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Mike Pearce | ... | |
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Johnny White | ... | |
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Alisa Arnah | ... | |
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Joe Hastings | ... |
Dave
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Biddy Rowe | ... |
Woman at Old House
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Tim Rowe | ... |
Boy at Old House
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Bart Kusse | ... |
Child Art
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Augustin Irving | ... |
Child Father
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Mirabel Kelly | ... |
Woman in Supermarket
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Bernard Kelly | ... |
Landlord
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Storyline
At first fancying himself an "enigmatic poet", twenty something Art gradually realizes that he must take action if he's going to escape his depressed life as a struggling musician in London. A solution comes in the shape of a book titled "It's Not Your Fault". Not content to just draw inspiration from its pages, however, Art invites the elderly author of the book to come live with him and his parents, which quickly becomes a painfully funny journey about dysfunction and growing up. Written by Anonymous
Taglines:
Sometimes we all need a little helpParents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
28 August 2009 (Italy) See more »Also Known As:
How to Be - Das Leben ist kein Wunschkonzert See more »Filming Locations:
London, England, UKBox Office
Budget:
£500,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
Color
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Mother: Well, it was just a matter of time. Look, I really got to go. Please try to not make a mess of things.
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Written by Joe Hastings and Oliver Irving
Performed by Robert Pattinson
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The song in the trailer is the 'Hammond Song' by The Roches. See more »Goofs
During the bar scene, the level of beer in Art's glass jumps around several times, from nearly full to nearly empty and back again. See more »Quotes
Art: I've moved back in. For a while. Back home.Mother: Well, it was just a matter of time. Look, I really got to go. Please try to not make a mess of things.
See more »
Soundtracks
"Choking on Dust"Written by Joe Hastings and Oliver Irving
Performed by Robert Pattinson
See more »
I attended the DC Independent Film Festival's screening of How To Be here in Washington, DC.
I loved it! I like quiet little movies like this. It's all dialogue-rich, and location sets, and natural composition. I thought the casting was perfect: the characters were organic and realistic, other than Dr. Ellington (the personal therapist) who was supposed to be a caricature rather than a true character in the film. This gave it a subtly surreal dynamic, which I thought was a nice touch.
The script was great, IMO. I generally like good character sketches, though, so I suppose I could see people who are not interested in the same being less than thrilled with it. But I like the themes that Art brings to the story. They are typical and simple themes, like love, direction, family, friends, work, sadness, happiness. The characters are wholly irreverent and hilariously unique. For a very small film, this script is nicely fleshed out.
The direction, production, and editing were great! I didn't catch any mistakes. They had a thorough cinematographer, too. I thought the lighting was pleasing, and the sound was mixed/edited nicely.
And yes. Rob Pattinson's performance is stellar. For being a self-proclaimed "untrained" actor, he's got such a wonderful and daring on-screen presence. Art is pathetic...so freakin' pathetic. And Pattinson embodies him with such precise depth. His comedic delivery, his physical timing, his vocal performance; I swear, it's all flawless. He really reaches inside himself to find that space where depression and anxiety live, and he dives into the process of putting himself back together again. You really root for the guy, pathetic as he is. As Pattinson's fame swells exponentially in the coming years, this one will become a sleeper testament to his acting chops--teeny bopper vampire love stories be damned.