Get Real (1998)

A tenderly romantic coming-of-age story as two boys in a British school fall in love.

Director:

Simon Shore

Writers:

Patrick Wilde (play), Patrick Wilde (screenplay)

Stars:

Ben Silverstone, Brad Gorton, Charlotte Brittain

6 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ben Silverstone	...	Steven Carter
Brad Gorton	...	John Dixon
Charlotte Brittain	...	Linda
Stacy Hart	...	Jessica (as Stacy A. Hart)
Kate McEnery	...	Wendy
Patrick Nielsen	...	Mark
Tim Harris	...	Kevin
James D. White	...	Dave
James Perkins	...	Young Steve
Nicholas Hunter	...	Young Mark
Jacquetta May	...	Steven's Mother
David Lumsden	...	Steven's Father
David Elliot	...	Glen
Morgan Jones	...	Linda's Brother
Richard Hawley	...	English Teacher

Storyline

This tenderly romantic film tells the story of Steve, a young boy in a at secondary school, as he struggles with coming out and falling in love with John, the top athlete at school - who, amazingly, falls in love with him as well.

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Plot Keywords:

gay lead character | smelling someone's clothes | falling in love | public lavatory | winning an award | 

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Taglines:

Boy meets boy. Boy likes boy. Boy, oh, boy.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and sexual content

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 April 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Comme un garçon

Filming Locations:

Basingstoke, Hampshire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$54,254, 2 May 1999, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,200,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arts Council of England, British Screen Productions, Distant Horizon

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

In the scene in the school newspaper office, when Mark discovers the anonymous article "Get Real", he reads aloud from the article: "The assumption that your children are heterosexual may be causing them pain." The close-up on the computer screen shows that sentence as: "The assumption that your children are heterosexual may be destroying their lives."

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Quotes

[first lines]
Steven Carter: I came late to sex. I was nearly ten. That's when my friend Mark Watkins told me how babies were made.
Young Steve: Really? Are you sure?
Young Mark: Yeah. Honest. I saw it on one of my dad's videos.
Steven Carter: For over a year after that I thought babies were made when two women tied a man to a bed and covered his willy with ice cream.

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Connections

Spoofed in Another Gay Movie (2006)

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Soundtracks

Play That Funky Music White Boy
Written by Rob Parissi (as Robert W. Parissi)
Performed by Dave Danger and the Chris Cawte Funk Band
Graphite Films

User Reviews

The only movie to see - ever!

I've seen this film more than a few times, and each time I find something more to become enthused about - the masterful mirroring of plot elements, the subtle shadings in each character, the fantastic camera work, and so on and so forth. This is one of those movies that you can see again and again and never become tired of - for my money, it ranks up there with It's A Wonderful Life and Belle Epoque, as both an artistic success and a story of the triumph of the human spirit. The leads are magnificent - Ben Silverstone is more than a little swoonsome, and Brad Gorton switches from smooth as silk to blubbering jelly with just a twitch - and to all of you wondering why John would fall for Steven, wouldn't you want a boyfriend who makes you laugh, forces you to take risks, and to generally put yourself at ease? I know I would. Bravo to Ben and Brad and Charlotte, to Simon, Patrick and Stephen for making a movie that will stay with me for all time. Ciao, tutte!