
Dominique Burns/INFO 265-10/YAS 15-18/ Professor Wrenn-Estes/Summer 2016
The Art of Getting By
directed by Gavin Wiesen
(Movie)
Bibliographic Information
Wiesen, G. (Director). (2011). The art of getting by [Motion Picture]. USA: Fox Searchlight.
ASIN: B005PTMPYA
Plot Summary
The Art of Getting By directed by Gavin Wiesen is the story of unique and zany teen named George Zinavoy (Freddie Highmore). George is a talented young man with a gift for drawing, but lacks direction and motivation. He has perfected the art of slacking by never doing his homework and regularly skipping school. One day George meets Sally (Emma Roberts) another free spirited teen on the roof of their school. The two become fast friends when George takes the fall for the cigarette she was smoking when a teacher finds them on the roof. George starts to fall for Sally, but is slow to make any moves and over time Sally starts to believe that George only likes her as a friend. Throughout the story George must figure out what he wants in life while navigating first love, heartbreak, family problems, and growing up. If he doesn’t get his life together he may loose Sally and everything that he cares about.
Critical Evaluation
First off the actors in this movie did a great job portraying lost teens searching for meaning in their lives. Freddie Highmore who plays George does a great job playing someone with a range of layers and emotions. His interpretation of the character is dynamic and believable. I do beleive that there are times in everyone’s life when they feel lost or unsure of what motivates them. The character George questions his existence and what motivates him if mortality is unavoidable. His family and teachers all try to help him, but he still pushes back in favor of a life not truly lived. I think the pressures that George finds himself having and the way he avoids responsibility out of fear is something many teens can relate to. George is a talented artist, but if he doesn’t get his act together his life will be wasted. He struggles to understand why he should care or even try. When he meets Sally, he finds himself wanting to get his act together, but at the same time still struggling. The story isn’t so much a love story, but rather a story about growing up. It is also Sally’s story as much as it is George’s story. She is just as lost and confused about what she wants in life. The two of them help each other grow as individuals throughout the movie as they discover who they are. Both characters are heavily flawed and lacking direction, but I think that makes them extremely authentic and real. I also really liked the ending of the movie, because it wasn’t about George and Sally ending up together. It was about them understanding their self-worth and understanding why that want to live the best lives they can.
Reader’s Annotation
Teenager George has perfected the art of slacking, avoiding responsibility, and skipping school. This is until he meets Sally who makes him question his current way of living.
Director Information
Gavin Wiesen did not have an online biography or website. The following information was taken from an interview with Gavin Wiesen on the movie, http://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/interview-gavin-wiesen-art/.
“Gavin Wiesen: The Art of Getting By is essentially a coming of age story of a kid in New York City, George Zinavoy, who’s a senior in high school, who has essentially made it through the majority of his high school years without ever having done a lick of work. He’s someone who’s very bright but ultimately a little bit depressed, a little bit in a adolescent existential crisis of “What’s the point of doing anything and why should he apply himself?” He doesn’t have a lot of friends. He doesn’t have a lot of proof of there being meaning in his life enough to make an effort. And he is befriended by the prettiest girl in his school, who he’s viewed from afar for years and all of a sudden, there’s this sort of tenuous friendship being formed and he’s suddenly out of his comfort zone and all of a sudden, he’s got a lot of things to apply himself to and everything sort of changes for him.”
Genre
Movie, Fiction, Realistic, Coming of Age, Romance,
Curriculum Ties
N/A
Booktalking Ideas
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The issues that George and Sally deal with
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George’s views on life
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Favorite characters or parts of the movie
Reading Level/ Interest Age
PG-13, Ages 15+
Challenge Issues
Language, Mature Content
Challenge Issue Resources (for usage in a challenge situation)
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Active Listening
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Explanation of why it was chosen for the collection (Rational)
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Awards
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Reader Advisory Reviews (Students, Parents, Educators)
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Positive and Negative Reviews
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National Council of Teachers “Right to Read”
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ALA Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials
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ALA Bill of Rights on Intellectual Freedom
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Library Selection Policy & Library District Reconsideration Form
Why I choose it
I choose to watch this because I saw it in the teen video section of a local library. There was a staff recommendation sign on it that caught my attention.
© Summer 2016, Created by Dominique Burns with Wix.com for INFO265-10 Young Adult Materials Mini-Collection Project
