How to Be (2008)

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

Stars:

Robert Pattinson, Rebecca Pidgeon, Powell Jones

6 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Pattinson	...	Art
Rebecca Pidgeon	...	Mother
Powell Jones	...	Dr. Ellington
Jeremy Hardy	...	Jeremy
Michael Irving	...	Father
Mike Pearce	...	Nikki
Johnny White	...	Ronny
Alisa Arnah	...	Jessica
Joe Hastings	...	Dave
Biddy Rowe	...	Woman at Old House
Tim Rowe	...	Boy at Old House
Bart Kusse	...	Child Art
Augustin Irving	...	Child Father
Mirabel Kelly	...	Woman in Supermarket
Bernard Kelly	...	Landlord

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.

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Plot Keywords:

self help | musician | question in title | camaro | break up | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes we all need a little help

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 August 2009 (Italy)

Also Known As:

How to Be - Das Leben ist kein Wunschkonzert

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

How To Be Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The song in the trailer is the 'Hammond Song' by The Roches.

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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.

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Quotes

Ronny: Therapy was invented in the sixties, do you know what invented means? It means it doesn't exist.

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Connections

References A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)

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Soundtracks

"Old Man"
Written by Bryan Maclean
Performed by Love

User Reviews

Saw How to Be at Slamdance

I was one of the lucky ones to see this movie at Slamdance. I absolutely loved this movie.

"This is not your typical Robert Pattinson movie. He doesn't play a good-looking, heart-throb. Robert plays Art, an insecure, confused, depressed, misfit who has no direction, no real social skills, and no support from his parents. His only love is music, but he sucks at that too. After the break up from his girlfriend, he basically looses it and has to move back in with his parents. This is his struggle to become "normal" so his parents and friends will accept and love him. He even goes to the extreme of hiring a self-help professional to help him. You will feel so sad for Art – trust me! Don't get me wrong, this movie contains endless British humor to lighten the subject up.

A wonderful independent movie with a great message. A job well done for Robert Pattinson.