GET OVER IT
SYNOPSIS
Berke Landers (Ben Foster) knows he has the love of a lifetime.
Allison (Melissa Sagemiller) and he have been together since they
were little kids, and he knows that it is the perfect
relationship that will never end. Wrong. Allison’s looking
for the spark of the new, and finds it in the shape of boy-band
singer Striker (Shane West). Berke can hardly believe it, let
alone get over it - except perhaps with a little help from both
Kelly (Kirsten Dunst), who is the sister of Berke’s best
friend Felix (Colin Hanks); and Shakespeare.
With a background in gay independent film, director Tommy O'Haver
brings a campier-than-usual sensibility to this disappointing
Kirsten Dunst teen movie, which comes close to being a full-fledged
backstage musical. Unfortunately O'Haver finally lacks the
courage to go beyond irony and video clip antics – the
parodic songs are bland and the dancing is limited, though the
rapper Sisqo gets to show off a few moves. Similarly, at first
glance O'Haver displays an energetic, cartoonish visual style,
shooting in widescreen while laying on split-screen effects,
fantasy sequences and strong primary colours. But in the end none
of this can disguise a fundamental visual monotony currently
standard in this genre – a reliance on medium shots of
people talking, designed more for TV than for the big screen. (The
limitations of this approach are especially clear in O'Haver's
feeble attempts to stage large-scale slapstick.) Otherwise, this
featherweight film has a few funny and charming moments, but not
enough of either. Dunst looks great and acts warmer than usual,
but she's ill-served by a script that asks her to spend scene
after scene making goo-goo eyes at a nondescript jock who ignores
her. Martin Short hogs much of the brief running time as a queeny
drama coach, making me wonder if the target audience of teenage
girls is really that desperate to see more satire of amateur
theatre. And what about the Shakespearian allusions so puzzlingly
persistent in current teen movies? Is there a real audience
demand for them, or are the screenwriters just trying to show off
their education while acting as English tutors by stealth? In any
case the parallels with A Midsummer Night's Dream are notably
strained and vague, focusing almost exclusively on the 'star-crossed
lovers' at the expense of other aspects of the play. It did occur
to me that the slacker stagehands who intervene at the climax
might be intended as counterparts to Shakespeare's 'rude
mechanicals,' but if so the idea is barely worked out.
Jake Wilson
Get Over It is one of those rare films that's hard to review. Not
for its complex mix of plot, structure and character development,
but for being so instantly forgettable the minute you leave the
cinema. There's nothing wrong with that. Not every film needs to
be Citizen Kane, and I love a good slice of cheesy entertainment
as much as the next guy. But Get Over It is too light-on to be
entertaining enough, with jokes few and far between and just a
few characters that deliver hammy performances to keep you
smiling. It's similar to a hundred other lazy high school romance
flicks, and it's curious to note that it took Miramax heavyweight
Harvey Weinstein (rather than a writer or director) to suggest
the inclusion of Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream in
the film, with its matching themes of broken hearts and
unrequited love. It's an attempt to add a little sparkle to an
otherwise laborious affair, but it still pales in comparison to
other teenage-riffs on classic literature like Clueless and 10
Things I Hate About You. At least the play's inclusion allows
consummate over-actor Martin Short to ham it up as drama teacher
"Dr Desmond Forrest-Oates, Fine Arts Chair". His
ridiculous Elvis-do, loud shirts and fake tan make no secret of
his sexuality, and Short robs every scene he's in from his green
co-stars. Ben Foster (previous star of TVs cult comedy Freaks and
Geeks), is not exactly a magnetic big screen lead, moping around
until the bouncy, bubbly Kirsten Dunst grabs his attention - and
ours. She sure has grown up since Interview with the Vampire, and
she doesn't mind showing it off. Get Over It is mildly amusing,
but it's hard to like a film where a high school play looks
better than the film itself. You too should be over it the
instant the film is over.
Shannon J. Harvey
In the words of The Simpson’s Millhouse: ‘We were like
Romeo and Juliet, only it ended in tragedy.’ Everyone
relates to a little of The Bard, even if they haven’t read
the end. In this case it’s the love rivalry of A Midsummer
Night’s Dream. Introduced to Shakespeare by a desire to
appear in a school play for less than artistic motives - jealousy
and posturing to put it bluntly - the teenage prototypes who
populate this flick begin to relate to the play as a soap opera
with very long words. But that’s Shakespeare for you, an
insight into character that stretches from existential angst to
teenage heartbreak. He also knew a thing or two about plays
within plays; and if he were around today he’d know that any
decent comedy including the staging of a school drama will always
have its weakest moments in the actual showing of the play.
Unfortunately, the slapstick giggle or two elicited in this case
is the highlight of a witless film. Of course there also has to
be the tragic, self-deluded director; and again the only mirthful
character is delivered by Martin Short, hamming it up as a camp
vulgarian who fancies himself as a cross between Franco
Zeffirelli and Stock, Aitken and Waterman. However, instead of
providing the filler gags, Short steals the show. Kirsten Dunst
is also impressive (and even sings sweetly) as a talented, but
beleaguered little sister, but alas, is awarded no winning lines.
Meanwhile, Ben Foster’s protagonist is no more than a dull
dork; and Colin Hanks demonstrates less flair with dialogue than
his old man, Tom, did conversing with a volley ball. I sometimes
suspect filmmakers of intentionally taunting film critics with
titles like this one. Will we come down to the level of the
screenplay? Believe me, Get It Over is a much wittier line than
any in the film. And that’s a real tragedy.
Brad Green
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CRITICAL COUNT
Favourable: 0
Unfavourable: 1
Mixed: 2



GET OVER IT (M)
(US)
CAST: Kirsten Dunst, Ben Foster, Melissa Sagemiller, Sisqo,
Martin Short
PRODUCERS: Michael Burns, Marc Butan, Paul Feldsher
DIRECTOR: Tommy O'Haver
SCRIPT: R. Lee Fleming Jr
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Maryse Alberti
EDITOR: Jeff Betancourt
MUSIC: Steve Bartek, Marc Shaiman, Sisqo, Scott Wittman
RUNNING TIME: 87 minutes
AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR: Buena Vista International
AUSTRALIAN RELEASE: September 6, 2001
VIDEO DISTRIBUTOR: BVHE
VIDEO RELEASE: January 23, 2002
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