Main cast: Kirsten Dunst (Kelly), Ben Foster (Berke Lawrence), Colin Hanks (Felix), Sisqó (Dennis), Martin Short (Dr Desmond Forrest-Oates), Melissa Sagemiller (Allison), and Shane West (Striker)
Director: Tommy O’Haver
Get Over It is a romantic comedy based around a third-rate teen update on A Midsummer Night’s Dream that ends up being a third-rate teen movie. Am I making sense here? This movie has people falling in love while preparing for a lame play, but the joke here is, the movie is pretty lame too. But the cast – ah, they try valiantly and they would have succeeded if the script isn’t so pedestrian.
The story is about Berke Lawrence, who is heartbroken after his long-term girlfriend Allison ditched him for Striker (Shane West sporting an atrocious accent here). So he decides to sign up for the modern revival of the play to win Allison back from Striker. Thing is, he can’t sing. But Kelly, his friend Felix the jock’s younger sister, is willing to help (and more). Kelly, an aspiring singer-songwriter, is obviously in love with him.
Can Berke open up to Kelly? Will Sisqó, playing another jock friend of Berke, dance and sing? Will Desmond Forrest-Oates come out of the closet, that flaming camp queen of a delightfully manic drama teacher?
The movie is so predictable it’s like watching a movie on autopilot. Allison will discover that Striker is a… well, she’ll come begging on her knees for Berke’s forgiveness, and Kelly will be hurt. Berke will, of course, find love in Kelly, but waits until the last moment to make a grand declaration. Whatever.
Ben Foster and Kirsten Dunst are wonderful, despite their lack of chemistry. Mr Foster plays the melancholic outsider he perfected to an art in Freaks and Geeks, and his selfish self-absorbed twit role is made palatable because of his endearing screen presence. He plays Berke like a fellow who has always been on the outside that he just can’t help his obtuse nature. And Ms Dunst just lights up the screen whenever she comes on it. Even when she is singing (she really sings) an awful song about love, she conveys enough sincerity to carry her role as the lovelorn damsel off beautifully. Poor dears – the script is just cruel on them. They shine, but their illumination is dimmed by the smearing of the smelly stuff that is the script.
My advice to these youngsters wishing to break into big screen after their TV series get cancelled: read the script before you commit. Please.
