Plot - What's it all about?

n eyebrow always raises with me when I see the writing on a new Blu-Ray or DVD that reads "From the studio that brought you..." I mean, it's the studio. Not the same director, cast or even writer. The studio! Still I realize that marketing departments have a job to do and their job is to sell the movie regardless of its reviews. I hadn't heard of "The Art of Getting By" and when it arrived, didn't really give it much thought, either. It was New Year's Day, I was a bit tired from the previous night's festivities, so I figured I'd see what this had to offer. I recognized the male lead, Freddie Highmore, who some might recall from his collaborations with Johnny Depp in "Finding Neverland" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." The female lead is Emma Roberts, whose been in a handful of movies herself but might be better-known as Julia Roberts' niece. Nevertheless, both actors have proven themselves competent in previous roles and as they enter adolescence, only time will tell if they follow the path of so many other child stars before them or will go onto careers as adult actors.

George (Freddie Highmore) hasn't really ever applied himself in school or, well, life. He's intelligent, for sure, and he's talented. But he's got this pessimistic view of life and believes that any and all accomplishments are futile since everyone eventually ends up dead. His principal (Blair Underwood) sees his potential and has given him the benefit of the doubt on every occasion. But even he's at the end of his rope and finally it comes down to an ultimatum - produce work or get expelled. It's about this time that George meets a muse of sorts in Sally (Emma Roberts). Sally's a bit more popular than George and the two embark on a plutonic friendship. There are feelings there, but George doesn't know how to express himself to Sally. As the year progresses, the two grow closer but Sally finds solace in an alumni of her school (an aspiring artist), much to the dismay of George. Will George and Sally end up and will Sally serve as the inspiration to make George get up and finally DO something?

I've read some other reviews of this film and it's been pretty much unanimously panned. While I agree that it didn't have the effect on me that "500 Days of Summer" or "Juno" (the two titles mentioned on the box that were from the same studio), I somewhat related to it. I've always been somewhat of a slacker myself, never really fining the motivation to do except what I really wanted to do. In fact, I've always somewhat envied those "go getters" who seem to do everything and do it well. However as I've aged, I don't quite see the futility in things that George does and as anyone knows it's about the journey and not the destination. The film is short and admittedly somewhat predictable and with a few other back stories that didn't quite seem to make sense (George's parents are in financial ruin and Sally's mother sleeps around). Still, at only 83 minutes it's not that much of a time commitment and you could do far worse.

Video - How's it look?

The film, low budget as it is, comes to Blu-Ray in a 2.40:1 AVC HD transfer that's exceptionally clear throughout. Despite the somber tone of the film, I found many of the scenes to be bright and colorful. There are plenty of views of New York and the clarity is such that we can see the threads on George's coat and the sparkle in Sally's eye. Contrast and black levels play off one another very well and I was hard-pressed to find much, if anything, to really complain about. Looking at it topically, it satisfies all the requirements, but it did seem to lack that extra "pop" that would merit it a perfect score.

Audio - How's it sound?

The audio is a different story in that the included DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack isn't too impressive. As this is an "art house" movie (or a wannabe one, anyway) we don't get a lot of play out of the speakers. There's a scene at a nightclub on New Year's Eve that left a lasting impression, but by and large this dialogue-driven film is a bit limited. Surrounds do have a few moments when they chime in, but this might as well have been a Dolby Surround track. Vocals are clear and rich, though. You might even forget that Freddie Highmore is British.

Supplements - It's all about the extras...

When it comes to supplements "The Art of Getting By" seems to take a hint from its namesake. What we get are really three featurettes that document some of the behind the scenes action that went on. The HBO First Look featurette has some candid interviews with stars Freddie Highmore and Emma Roberts. The only real supplement of note is the audio commentary with director Gavin Wiesen, though it's a bit dull and dry at times. You'd figure with the film only being 80 minutes long he'd have more to say. Evidently not. Lastly we have the original theatrical trailer.

Top