• The Hollywood Reporter on LinkedIn
  • Follow THR on Pinterest

The Art of Getting By: Sundance Review

7:45 PM PST 1/23/2011 by David Rooney

PARK CITY -- When everyone, including the protagonist himself, keeps saying how weird and complicated he is, it’s unfortunate that he registers as simply dull. But that applies across the board in the narrow, artificial world of this vapid coming-of-age story.

From the opening voice-over in which he espouses a hackneyed brand of what’s-the-point juvenile fatalism, to his uniform of outsize overcoat and the Camus paperback he carries like an accessory, everything about George’s depression feels like a pose. There’s just not enough going on behind actor Freddie Highmore’s eyes to convince us this kid’s existential angst is real.

Social & Mobile

From our partners