The Details

The Art of Getting By

Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Rita Wilson

Directed by Gavin Wiesen

Rated PG-13

Beyond the Weekly

Official Movie Site

IMDb: Mr. Popper's Penguins

No matter how many times Sally (Emma Roberts) tells George (Freddie Highmore) that he’s “so weird,” that doesn’t make The Art of Getting By any less generic, or its characters any less one-dimensional. The feature debut of writer-director Gavin Wiesen is a by-the-book “quirky” indie romance, with a pair of superficially rebellious (but intelligent and hyper-articulate) teens falling in love to a soundtrack of plaintive indie rock. Neither George nor Sally develops beyond the basic traits established for them as the movie begins, and their relationship is as predictable as it is slight. Roberts plays essentially the same character she did in last year’s It’s Kind of a Funny Story, and she and Highmore have about as much of a connection as the average Hollywood rom-com couple. For a brief moment it seems like the movie might be heading toward a bittersweet, unresolved ending, but it pulls back for a safe, bland wrap-up. Nothing weird about that at all.