THE ART OF GETTING BY Review: Lacklustre, Disposable Coming-of-Age Story
Director Gavin Wiesen’s camera work and direction was a pleasure, but if only the script, narrative, and characters he was working with were so inspired.
Another American indie film discovered and pushed by Sundance and Fox Searchlight. Hurray. The Art of Getting By concerns the life of George Zinavoy, (Freddie Highmore; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) a misanthropic, high school senior, who happens to be a bit of a loner, incredibly lazy, and frankly, rather irritating. He does little with his time, doodling apocalyptic-looking creatures over the pages of his exercise books instead of studying, listening to Leonard Cohen and reading Camus The Outsider. His philosophy behind his reasoning is that we live alone and we die alone and everything else is an illusion. So what is the point of doing homework? Like everything else, life will soon be over and we shall die. But his nonchalance to life soon exacerbates his already woeful existence. Two new friends help to pull George from himself. Sally, (Emma Roberts; Scream 4, Its Kind of a Funny Story) an obviously beautiful, boring blonde Queen Bee succeeds in pulling George slightly from his introversion and misery after he takes the blame for her when she is caught smoking on top of their prestigious schools roof. But Sally receives the same treatment as his homework; obviously enamoured, he just cant be bothered with the effort. A second new friend is Dustin, (Michael Angarano) an aspiring artist in his early twenties who helps to show George what it is like to be deep and meaningful and push himself with his art. But Georges chances with Sally wane as Dustin also displays his interest, and finally George needs to make some kind of effort if he is going to graduate high school and get with Sally. The Art of Getting By echoes a very lacklustre Ferris Bueller, but genuine comedic moments are very rare. The morning erection in at a chaste sleepover at Sallys house brings forth a genuine titter. And Sallys mother, (Elizabeth Reaser) a voracious flirt and man-eater, presents a welcome and humourous juxtaposition against Georges family. A more apt picture of a harder life is depicted by Georges father in a rare moment of insight. Bunking school with Sally, George spies his father moping about in an act of deception as he pretends to have gone to work, but really to disguise his unemployment and shame, unbeknownst to his stepmother and himself. George should have been inspired to make an effort, but of course he doesnt. The Art of Getting By is executed as through Weisen is conducting a visual how to checklist for dummies, ensuring to emphatically tick all the correct boxes to ensure maximum American indie film points. Perhaps The Art of Getting By has autobiographical influences, building upon the universal experience regarding the genericisms and predictability. The Art of Getting By often feels like a collage compiled of all indie blockbusters and there are the inevitable comparisons to Richard Ayoades recent (and far superior) Submarine. It fails to provide zero in developing this overworked genre, let alone any originality or even anything to capture our interest.It is indeed a pity we are in New York instead of Wales. Yes, we know George would draw Sally for his final art piece. Yes, Sallys and Dustins relationship wouldnt work and that in the end, she wants George, and yes we know George would miraculously finish a whole years worth of homework in time to graduate high school, and everything would work out nice and happy decked in cheesy smiles, like the perfect American Dream. These are not technically spoilers, but inevitable moments of this unrealistic narrative that concludes where everything works out so well it feels almost fairy-tale like. The several references to higher culture, Malles Zazie dans la Metro, Camus and Thomas Hardy perhaps displays Weisens high hopes for his film, merely achieving a lacklustre, disposable coming-of-age story that Holden Cauldfield would have considered certainly to be phoney. However Wiesens camera work was a pleasure, if only the script, narrative, and characters were so inspired. New York is wonderfully captured in all its resplendent glory. Like its protagonist George, The Art of Getting Bys failure to make more of a conscious effort is equally frustrating. If it wasnt quite so predictable and George was slightly more likable, it could have had much more potential. An art of endurance, none the less. The Art of Getting By is out now in the U.K.