6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 2.5 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
George, a lonely and fatalistic teen who's made it all the way to his senior year without ever having done a real day of work, is befriended by Sally, a beautiful and complicated girl who recognizes in him a kindred spirit.
Starring: Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Michael Angarano, Elizabeth Reaser, Sam RobardsRomance | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 1.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
As I was watching The Art of Getting By, I was drinking a strong drip coffee and snacking on dark chocolate-covered espresso beans.
Neither did any good. Midway through I wanted to nod off, not because I was tired beforehand, but because the film itself is a particularly strong
sedative, as bland as white bread and just as substanceless. Rated R and submitted under the title Homework, the movie debuted to a
negative response at Sundance this year, and it’s no better now, masked with a new name and a rejiggered PG-13 rating.
The problem’s not just that the film is boring, it’s also aggressively obnoxious, trying way too hard to make its main character into a substitute
Holden Caulfield. Yes, most modern male coming-of-age stories draw at least loosely on The Catcher in the Rye, but this one is shameless. It’s
what Holden himself would’ve called goddamn phony. Do we really need another film about the First World problems of New York’s privileged
and disaffected youth? I’m going to go with “no.”
20th Century Fox has brought The Art of Getting By to Blu-ray with a 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that delivers exactly what you expect from a fairly low-budget independent drama—an image that's not quite as slick and polished as its top-tier brethren, but still clean and colorful. Unlike a lot of indie movies these days, Getting By was actually shot on 35mm, which gives the picture a warm, naturally filmic quality. The grain structure is thin and unobtrusive, and hasn't been touched by digital noise reduction or edge enhancement. The level of clarity is acceptable, with fine high definition detail visible in the actors' faces and clothing, but there are many longer shots that simply look out of focus. Color is satisfying, with a slightly warm cast, healthy skin tones, and a palette of rich neutral colors. Black levels are adequately deep and contrast is punchy without looking overpushed. Grain and noise spike a bit during darker scenes, but never drastically, and there are no other compression or encode issues. This is an all-around okay-looking disc, far from impressive, but far more impressive than the film itself.
The Art of Getting By features Fox's standard-issue lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, and the mix is typical for this kind of set- in-the-big-city drama/comedy. For most scenes, dialogue is the focus—it's always presented cleanly and clearly from the front channels—with a light backdrop of quiet environmental ambience in the rear speakers, from traffic noise and party chatter to the usual clamor of high school classrooms. The surrounds also help fill out Alec Puro's score and the various soundtrack songs—like that precious cover of "Turn the Clock Around"—and the music has plenty of depth and presence. The only time the track really gets to bump is when the kids somehow gain entrance to a 21+ nightclub and dance the night away to a thumping kick drum. The disc also includes a Dolby Digital 5.1 descriptive audio track, along with optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles.
The Art of Getting By arrives on Blu-ray with your usual assortment of superficial bonus features, including short production featurettes, interviews with the stars, and an audio commentary with the director, none which will change your opinion of the film.
Somewhere, the ghost of J.D. Salinger is palming his face and shaking his head, observing all the two-bit ripoffs of The Catcher in the Rye, like The Art of Getting By, which even goes so far as to have a title that rhymes and shares the same syllable count. (Granted, I have no idea if this is intentional or not.) As far as coming-of-age dramas go, this one falls onto the "insufferable" side of the spectrum. I can only see The Art of Getting By appealing to brooding pre-teens who have yet to discover Holden Caulfield. All others are advised to stay away.
Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho
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Includes "Him", "Her", and "Them" Cuts
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