Get Real (1999)

Considering it's done in 1998, it's quite a touching and realistic coming of age movie. I have seen many coming of age movies and they all suck big time, this low budget movie is well directed and touching.It's a little dated but still watchable.5/10

A very good movie. First of all, it avoids the ludicrous pitfall of thirty-somethings or twenty-somethings trying to play teenagers a la Olivia Newton John and John Travolta in "Grease". That kind of inauthentic casting has ruined the verisimilitude and integrity of far too many movies about young people. Roger Ebert once said only half jokingly that there should be a law that actors playing young adults or children must be the age of their characters; and judging from some of the untenable performances turned in by older actors in movies of this genre, I'm inclined to agree with him. All the actors playing teenagers in this movie are believable as teenagers, and this authenticity is a decided asset. I found this movie poignant, touching and aptly awkward in places. It reminded me of high school life. The director and actors achieve just the right mix of erotic longing, real-world constraints, uncertainty and the tension of trying to build a self in a complicated world. Not quite as superb as its close cousin, "Beautiful Thing," but very good nonetheless. Highly recommended to anyone fair-minded enough to appreciate a movie featuring gay characters.

Stephen Carter (Ben Silverstone) is 16 and secretly gay. Only his best friend Linda (Charlotte Brittain) knows. He finds out hunky star athlete John Dixon (Brad Gorton) is gay too. They become lovers...but John doesn't want anyone to know and tells Stephen to keep it a secret. Stephen agrees but it's starting to tear him up inside.I saw this THREE times when it played at a small art cinema here (Massachusetts) back in 1998. It attracted a sizable crowd around here (for an R rated gay independent movie). It still works over 10 years later. It's well written and well-acted by the entire cast. Silverstone and Gorton are both str8 in real life but they play gay convincingly. Their kisses are passionate and there's one heart-breaking scene at a dance when they're dancing with their girlfriends and are looking into each others eyes sadly knowing they want to hold each other--but can't. There's nothing loud or explicit here like no nude sex scenes (how it got the R rating is beyond me). It only gets a 9 because there are a few problems. The ending seems really rushed and leaves a few plot streams hanging (mostly dealing with Gorton's character). Brittain is the comic relief and quickly becomes very annoying. These people are supposed to be 16 but it's pretty obvious they're WAY over that age! Lastly the British accents are VERY hard to understand at first. Still--well worth catching. Try to see this letterboxed--the full frame version cuts off a lot of information off the sides so some scenes play very badly--sometimes people are talking to somebody but you can't see who it is!

What a surprise! I just turned 43 although it doesn't seem like it. I watched the movie and it transported me back to when I was 17.The feelings that the young men felt were so real. I was really impressed with the accuracy in the way they portrayed those experiences.I almost never watch a movie more than once. I watched this movie 4 times in the last 2 weeks.The ending really sucked though. True, it was realistic I suppose in some ways, but it hurt. Thats why I watched it so many times. I can't understand why I have such a strong feeling of hurt in the ending. It was, after all, just a movie and I don't ever have a lingering reaction such as this.It really touched me on some deep levels that frankly kind of confuse me. It would be nice to see a sequel. Even if they don't get back together as i am sure in real life the wouldn't. It would still be nice to see some closure to their sweet dating experience and a positive outlook on their individual futures. Wow, I can't believe I am actually writing this as it is so out of character for me to do. This movie just really touched me in a way that truly surprised me and is now one of my favorites. I would highly recommend seeing "Get Real".