The Art of Getting By
The Art of Getting By Image
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Metascore
36 out of 100

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 28 Critics What's this?

User Score
5.9 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 29 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
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  • Starring: Emma Roberts, Freddie Highmore, Michael Angarano
  • Summary: The Art of Getting By stars Freddie Highmore as George, a lonely and fatalistic teen who's made it all the way to his senior year without ever having down a real day of work, who is befriended by Sally, a beautiful and complicated girl who recognizes in him a kindred spirit. (Fox Searchlight)

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 28
  3. Negative: 13 out of 28
  1. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Amy Biancolli
    Jun 16, 2011
    75
    The movie turns lighter and less morose as it rolls along, which is good for viewers who prefer a bit of honey to offset the bitter taste of hormones.
  2. Arizona Republic
    Reviewed by: Bill Goodykoontz
    Jun 18, 2011
    60
    Thanks to Highmore's performance, George is worth sticking around for - and thanks almost exclusively to Highmore and Roberts, so is The Art of Getting By.
  3. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Michael O'Sullivan
    Jun 16, 2011
    38
    There's no sense of perspective here.
  4. New Orleans Times-Picayune
    Reviewed by: Mike Scott
    Jun 17, 2011
    38
    Right off the bat, things start falling apart for Wiesen's film. While Highmore is more than capable of playing smart and tender, he has yet to figure out how to believably portray so much as a shred of the danger or rebelliousness required for this role.

See all 28 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 11
  3. Negative: 2 out of 11
  1. MegWhiteley
    10
    I don't think that the movie is bad, I think that the critics don't understand the movie, because is fantastic, have some cool and funny moments, The Art of Getting By have great performances, and the movie is good.… Expand
  2. Miro11
    8
    Despite the negative feedback I quite liked the film. Sure it has characters that have been done to death but it has a lot of heart, which is achieved through the likability of the lead, Freddie Highmore. Not an amazing flick, but enough to keep me interested to watch til the end on TV, which is an achievement for these types of film… Expand
  3. remm-
    7
    i thought, as the big red machine looked for this dvd, that i probably just wasted a dollar. i was pleasantly surprised. it's not ground breaking, but it is absolutely entertaining.… Expand
  4. DoubleBlue
    4
    This movie features Freddie Highmore in a rather unsympathetic lead role and a very predictable plot. Many other films have explored the same theme much more creatively and memorably. The low budget shows, too -- has a high school graduation ever looked more bare-bones than here? For me the highlight was a passing glimpse of the diner that was featured in "Seinfeld". I expected to like this movie a lot more than I did so maybe I'm just grumpy, but I really believe this one will end up as just a footnote on the CV's of the cast and crew.… Expand

See all 11 User Reviews

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