The Art of Getting By
Fox Searchlight Pictures | Release Date: June 17, 2011 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
36
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
9
Negative:
13
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
San Francisco ChronicleAmy BiancolliJun 16, 2011
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. Read full review
75
ObserverRex ReedJun 15, 2011
Has more charm and wit than most of its J.D. Salinger-inspired cousins in the same genre, and is undeniably engaging. Read full review
70
The New York TimesA.O. ScottJun 16, 2011
There is also much in The Art of Getting By that is worth praising, and if you can grade on a curve - setting the standard at "The Wackness" rather than "The Squid and the Whale" - you may find yourself touched, tickled and occasionally surprised. Read full review
63
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe WilliamsJun 16, 2011
Yet notwithstanding its derivative dolefulness and PG-13 timidity, The Art of Getting By is smart and sweet enough to become the favorite film of some Midwestern adolescent who wrongly believes he's already seen the dark side. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia PuigJun 16, 2011
Though it doesn't fully resonate as a romance, it is effective as a character study. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertJun 16, 2011
Pleasant and well-acted and easy to watch. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJun 18, 2011
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. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderBen SachsJun 16, 2011
The movie is so filled with such optimistic gestures that one wishes it were more convincing; the dialogue is riddled with cliches and the leads are too confident to portray teenage insecurities credibly. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsJun 16, 2011
The glibness of Wiesen's freshman effort wouldn't be a problem if the wit was there. Read full review
45
MovielineMichelle OrangeJun 16, 2011
I found myself forgetting The Art of Getting By as it unfolded, as though the Looney Tunes art department were two steps behind the characters, rolling up the scenery like so much carpeting. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonJun 16, 2011
By the end, the most charming thing about The Art Of Getting By is that while its adults cut Highmore far too much slack, they aren't Hughes-movie oblivious idiots, and they eventually draw a few firm lines. Unfortunately, the movie isn't daring enough to follow suit. Read full review
40
Village VoiceMelissa AndersonJun 14, 2011
Crafted not to give the slightest offense, The Art of Getting By makes the great - and even the mediocre - teen movies of 30 years ago, like "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," "Fame," and "Foxes," look even more radical in comparison, with their depiction of obnoxious, horny, property-destroying teens. Read full review
40
Time OutDavid FearJun 14, 2011
Ugh! For a movie devoted to an alleged geek-rebel underdog, this coming-of-age flick couldn't be more conformist, from its familiar faux quirk to the interchangeable emo-pop songs peppering each sugary montage. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyJun 14, 2011
There's just not enough going on behind actor Freddie Highmore's eyes to convince us this kid's existential angst is real. Read full review
40
Boxoffice MagazineRay GreeneJun 12, 2011
A formula picture made by someone who doesn't even believe in the formula - he knows it all has to work out, we know it all has to work out, and he can't even muster an ironic wink for our trouble. Read full review
38
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottJun 17, 2011
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. Read full review
38
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanJun 16, 2011
There's no sense of perspective here. Read full review
38
Boston GlobeTy BurrJun 16, 2011
If the director had brought any toughness of perspective - or at least the self-lacerating humor of 2002's "Igby Goes Down,'' still the reigning champ of screwed-up-Manhattan-prepster films - we might be able to digest George's follies without cringing. Read full review
38
Orlando SentinelRoger MooreJun 15, 2011
A screen romance that echoes its title. It gets by. Barely. Read full review
33
Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumJun 22, 2011
Old Holden would call the whole movie phony, and I agree, if you want to know the truth. Read full review
30
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleJun 16, 2011
Unformed protagonists don't come more wallowingly irritating and contradictory than George. Read full review
30
VarietyJohn AndersonJun 14, 2011
Facile, formulaic and utterly charm-free. Read full review
25
New York PostLou LumenickJun 17, 2011
There's still no good reason to suffer through a half-baked little movie that proves indies can be every bit as boringly formulaic and artistically bankrupt as their big-budget brethren. Read full review
25
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam LaceyJun 16, 2011
The Art of Getting By is distinguished by a dullness that's almost akin to being in high school again. Read full review
25
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallJun 15, 2011
The Art of Getting By is enough to drive a movie critic to drink. The next round's on the kid in the overcoat. Read full review
20
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierJun 17, 2011
Well-meaning but dreadfully executed movie. Read full review
12
Slant MagazineNick SchagerJun 16, 2011
If not for its lack of self-awareness, The Art of Getting By would seem to be a spoof of ennui-inflicted teen dramas, because how else to explain the fact that Gavin Wiesen's debut is comprised of only clichés of clichés? Read full review
11
Austin ChronicleKimberley JonesJun 16, 2011
Flaccid, endlessly irksome coming-of-age drama. Read full review
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