The Art of Getting By

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The Art of Getting By

PG-13

2011

1h 24m

Comedy

Drama

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20%

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110 Reviews

46%

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10,000+ Ratings

George (Freddie Highmore) is a senior at a posh Manhattan prep school, but his disaffected attitude leaves little room for toeing the line. He'd rather doodle and read philosophy, and he strenuously avoids his parents (Rita Wilson, Sam Robards) whenever possible. Unfortunately, George's attitude is endangering his chances of graduating. Then he meets Sally (Emma Roberts). George finds himself falling in love with her, but an older artist (Michael Angarano) adds a complication to the mix.

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Critics Consensus

A sitcom-level twee mess that bakes in the typical manic pixie dream girl and boring, withdrawn boy hero.

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Tim Robey

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Even by the standards of mopey teen rebels, this one really is a dreadful little prat.

Rated: 1/5

Sep 2, 2011

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Charlotte O'Sullivan

London Evening Standard

A glossy fudge.

Rated: 2/5

Sep 2, 2011

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

You'll feel like swatting Freddie Highmore with a rolled-up newspaper the size of a railway carriage while watching this supremely annoying film, a teen drama populated by vulnerable indie moppets.

Rated: 1/5

Sep 1, 2011

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

The perfect title for a film in which first-time feature writer/director Gavin Wiesen is doing just that, getting by.

Rated: 2.0/4.0

Sep 2, 2020

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Kaleem Aftab

The List

A film of slight but wry observation.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 6, 2018

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Joseph Walsh

CineVue

The film takes elements of the genre and makes them its own and, more importantly, it does it well.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 29, 2018

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Frank C

This movie goes way back to 2011. It's 2025 now. Found it featured on the library shelf. I grabbed it because of Emma Roberts, one of my favorite actors. It focused my intense attention throughout, and it gets it - like "honesty and fearlessness". Freddie Highmore and Emma were a perfect fit and the supporting cast was excellent 20%/46% seems a bit harsh. After all, the movie was a Sundance Film Festival nominee!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/09/25

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Drew B

It drags a little. But it spoke to me. Theres a specific line in it that cracked me up.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/10/25

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Brittanii C

This was technically a movie. There were actors, a soundtrack, and scenes and that made it a movie. Thats about the nicest thing I can say. Lacked depth, lacked coherent plot, lacked flavour, lacked lacked lacked.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/16/24

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Amanda L

A movie about teens that manages to grasp the ageless force of true love. While the leads are high school seniors on the brink of graduation, the narrative was pure enough to speak about what it takes to ascend from any level to something higher and unknown. As for criticisms that the heroine fell into the "manic pixie dream girl" trope—just no. She had some major demons which were in fact tightly woven into the plot, serving as catalysts for character development. I'm giving it a five because, despite the rom-com box and coming-of-age bow, its sincerity was a surprising gift.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/15/24

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Cristian s

Mejor de lo que esperaba, una película romántica sobre adolescentes que resulta tierna, inocente y fácil de empatizar.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/10/24

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Audience Member

Despite the harsh criticisms, I love how avant-garde the story was filmed. Simple and direct to the point, with just the right amount of cynicism at its core. If you ask me, it's quite refreshing to watch. And if it ain't your cup of tea? then, you probably shouldn't watch it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

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Gavin Wiesen

Director

Freddie Highmore

George Zinavoy

Emma Roberts

Sally Howe

Michael Angarano

Dustin

Rita Wilson

Vivian Sargent

Blair Underwood

Principal Martinson

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Synopsis

George (Freddie Highmore) is a senior at a posh Manhattan prep school, but his disaffected attitude leaves little room for toeing the line. He'd rather doodle and read philosophy, and he strenuously avoids his parents (Rita Wilson, Sam Robards) whenever possible. Unfortunately, George's attitude is endangering his chances of graduating. Then he meets Sally (Emma Roberts). George finds himself falling in love with her, but an older artist (Michael Angarano) adds a complication to the mix.

Director: Gavin Wiesen
Producer: P. Jennifer Dana, Kara Baker, Gia Walsh, Darren Goldberg
Screenwriter: Gavin Wiesen
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Production Co: Gigi Productions
Rating: PG-13 (Sexual Content|Language|Teen Drinking|Teen Partying|Thematic Elements)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 17, 2011, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.4M
Runtime: 1h 24m

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