The Art of Getting By (2011)

George, a lonely and fatalistic teen who has made it all the way to his senior year without ever having done a real day of work, is befriended by Sally, a popular but complicated girl who recognizes in him a kindred spirit.

Director:

Gavin Wiesen

Writer:

Gavin Wiesen

Stars:

Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Michael Angarano

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Freddie Highmore	...	George Zinavoy
Emma Roberts	...	Sally Howe
Sasha Spielberg	...	Zoe Rubenstein
Marcus Carl Franklin	...	Will Sharpe
Ann Dowd	...	Mrs. Grimes
Maya Ri Sanchez	...	Cynthia
Blair Underwood	...	Principal Martinson
Ann Harada	...	Mrs. Dougherty
Rita Wilson	...	Vivian Sargent
Jarlath Conroy	...	Harris McElroy
Elizabeth Reaser	...	Charlotte Howe
Andrew Levitas	...	Javier
Sam Robards	...	Jack Sargent
Alicia Silverstone	...	Ms. Herman
Michael Angarano	...	Dustin

Storyline

Believing the quote that you are born alone, die alone and everything else is an illusion, George doesn't see the point of life, school, or homework. Then he meets Sally and he now has a reason to go to school and make friends, even if he's not ready to admit to himself or to her that he likes her. The school's principal and art teacher introduce him to an alumni, and successful artist, Dustin, who can help guide George along life's path, but other distractions start surfacing, and George might not even be able to graduate from high school.

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Plot Keywords:

principal | artist | high school | rebellious teenager | teenage angst | 

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Taglines:

The toughest lesson is love.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements including sexual content, language, teen drinking and partying

Did You Know?

Trivia

Charlotte, Sally's mom gave birth to Sally when she was 16 years old. But in real life Elizabeth Reaser is 16 years older than Emma Roberts.

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Quotes

Sally Howe: I have fears but I thought they were pretty run-of-the-mill: pain, death.
George Zinavoy: Not me. I fear life.

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Alternate Versions

In the UK, the film was originally seen for advice by the BBFC in a rough cut form. The BBFC advised the filmmakers that the film was likely to receive a 15 rating, but that a 12A rating could be awarded if the strong language was reduced. When the finished version of the film was submitted for a formal rating in the UK, the number of uses of strong language had been reduced from five to one and the film was passed 12A. These cuts appear to have made their way into all releases of the film.

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Connections

Featured in Breakfast: Episode dated 15 August 2011 (2011)

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Soundtracks

Black Champagne
Written by Andrew Nunez and Allan Vest
Performed by Starlight Mints
Courtesy of Barsuk Records
By Arrangement with Bank Robber Music

User Reviews

Bittersweet teen romance thats very different to the usual fare.

this movie has gotten a pretty bad rap, it supposedly got terrible reviews from critics when it was first released and it didn't perform well at the box office but i don't see what is so horrible about it, i thought it was a nice, easily watchable film that didn't follow the usual cliché storyline that most teen romance films follow.

Freddie Highmore and Emma Roberts are rather sweet together, although i have to say the Emma Roberts character is slightly annoying and a bit of a hussy, obviously she's picked this up from her mother but besides that the two leads are great together and have a genuine awkwardness between them that is really funny and nice to watch.

The only time that i thought the movie faltered was when it started to deal with the family side of the story, i didn't find it very interesting and it seemed like a kinda boring subplot. I would have liked to see more scenes with Alicia Silverstone because she is great and it was cool to see her in a very different role like this. Also the lack of soundtrack lets this film down slightly but this is an independent film so i guess you have to make allowances for that.

So if you're looking for a teen film that is a tad left of field, check this out.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 June 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Homework

Filming Locations:

New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$679,160, 19 June 2011

Gross USA:

$1,430,241

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,892,130

Company Credits

Production Co:

Goldcrest Pictures, Mint Pictures, Island Bound Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1