The Art Of Getting By

New York high-school student George (Freddie Highmore) could be about to let his existential crisis get in the way of graduation. ‘Everyone dies alone,’ he reckons, so what’s the point in homework? Of course, the underlying issue is whether he can get his leg over with fellow misfit Sally (Emma Roberts), but, since she’s also his only friend, that may not be the smartest of ideas either. Familiar issues, certainly, and George’s long overcoat, Camus paperback and Leonard Cohen records do make him a walking cliché. Still, the movie does have sincerity in its favour, even if these over-entitled kids seem pretty docile in the teen-rebellion stakes, and the 12A certificate flags it as an educational offering targeted at viewers on the cusp of adolescence – who may not necessarily realise just how hackneyed it is. Highmore is too cherubic to convince and the appealing Roberts struggles in a thankless role.