The Art of Getting By

I know I promised this post about The Art of Getting By before the end of the week. I kept meaning to write it, but then as I went to sit down and type it, I realized I'm still not entirely sure what I thought of the movie. Overall I liked it, but I think that the movie never really capitalized on its promise.

It's a predictable "coming-of-age, boy meets girl, both are charmingly quirky with family issues" story starring Emma Roberts and Freddie Highmore. I'll be honest, part of the original appeal of this film was seeing just how well little Freddie grew up. I don't tend to adore child actors a whole lot, but there's something about this kid that I love. He's the boy in Finding Neverland, Charlie and Chocolate Factory, and August Rush among others. In those films, he held his own against some rather impressive actors. And after The Art of Getting By, I'm looking forward to seeing what else he'll do in the future as he certainly didn't disappoint in it. I'm less sold on Emma Roberts. Or maybe it was the way her character was written. I'm getting tired of seeing the same tired trope teenage girl. She showed growth in her character, but it seemed less genuine, probably because we didn't get enough back story about her.

I liked it enough to probably warrant a second watching, but I fear this might end up being a purchase I donate to the library. Although not until I can figure out who in the world grown-up Freddie Highmore reminds me of. I can't decide if it's a current student, a kid I knew in high school, or some other actor and it's been bugging me crazy since I watched it.