Get Real

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Summary: Britain makes them right!
Review: Between Get Real and Beautiful Thing (1996) I am thinking that Britain knows how to make great films with gay themes. Movies like Jeffery & Trick are fun and all but for me they don't seem to strike those deep and delicate chords that ring within the soul. The movie Get Real is a coming of age story about a 16 year old boy named Steven Carter. (played with utter perfection by the rather talented Ben Silverstone.) Steven longs to be accepted for who and what he is and to make a life for himself more meaningful than random bathroom encounters with other gay men. Enter John Dixon (played by Brad Gorton). John is the school's track star and the one "hunk" that every girl in the school (and one particular Steven Carter) would give away their first born to date. After an awkward encounter in a park bathroom Steven finds that John may actually be more "family oriented" than he appears. What ensues is a wild ride of self discovery for both Steven and John where ultimately their growing bond of friendship & love help Steven to overcome his fears and be who he really wants to be no holds barred. The only things that were minorly irritating about this film is the placement of the comic relief in the form of Steven's best friend Linda (played very believably by Charlotte Brittain.) After every intense scene we are thrown into a silly sequence of Linda being...well...Linda. One other complaint was the unconvincing performance by Brad Gorton as the closeted and frightened John Dixon). I do not know if the actor was just out of touch with gay issues or what, but I just wasn't buying his sincerity when he would speak his more deeply moving lines. But let me assure that these are comparatively minor issues and that this movie is definitely a great viewing. For anyone who has ever longed to cast aside all fear and inhibition and be your true self, its time to get "Get Real".

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Summary: I absolutely Loved this movie! You will too!!!
Review: I absolutely loved this movie. It is so refreshing to see a gay themed, 'coming-out' movie done this well.

The gist of this movie is that sixteen-year-old Steven Carter (Ben Silverstone) is gay but has kept his sexual orientation under wraps. Neither his parents nor his peers in the middle-class English town where he lives know. Steven's only confidant is his sarcastic neighbor Linda (Charlotte Brittain). In one of his furtive trips to the park to meet another guy, Steven is surprised when a man indicating interest in the men's room turns out to be John Dixon (Brad Gorton), the school's most talented athlete, who is dating a model (Louise J. Taylor). Only trouble is that this Oxford-bound overachiever hasn't really come to terms with who he is. The start of their covert relationship is more than Steven ever dreamed of in his wildest fantasies.

This romantic comedy, smoothly directed by Simon Shore, is based on a stage play by Patrick Wilde. It vividly conveys the giddy joy Steven feels to be madly in love. Buoyed by this surge of confidence, he contributes an anonymous confession of his sexual orientation for publication in the school newspaper. After fending off the advances of Jessica (Stacy A. Hart), a classmate who wants a more sensitive boyfriend, Steven is ready to come out of the closet, no matter what the consequences. Get Real celebrates the right of every person to put forward his or her true self every day without reservation or hesitation.

So Even if you're not sixteen, gay, and growing up in Basingstoke, England, there is plenty to identify with in this witty, and often moving rites of passage film.

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Summary: Charming
Review: This is a charming coming of age/coming out tale set in suburban England. Steven, an aspiring writer, and John the typical high school "jock, discover their mutual affection for each other. Amidst family pressure, moral convictions, and teenage angst, the two boys struggle to explore their newfound sexuality.
The movie has a "feel good" quality about it, though it does have its dark moments.
Ben Silverstone and Brad Garton who play the two male leads deliver two rock solid perfomances with a complement of fine supporting actors. This is a genuine, fun, and inspirational romp through the sometimes dangerous territory of young gay love.

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Summary: Great Movie For Gay Youth/ Coming Out
Review: Wow, where to begin. Get Real, based on the play, What's Wrong With Angry?, tells the story of Steven Carter (Ben Silverstone), a gay high school student who through meeting older men in the nearby park, gets his first glimpse at "gay life", or at least all the Basingstoke has to offer.
As Steven frequents the park after school, he discovers John Dixon (Brad Gorton), the school's all around student and hunky jock also goes there. Problems arise when Steven and John start seeing eachother secretly. As soon as Steven's parents find out he's been at the park, Steven, overcome with stress and pressure from his peers at school, urges everyone to get real.
Full of lots of laughes, mainly provided by Steven's best friend Linda (Charlotte Brittain), and an equally entertaining amount of drama, Get Real is great movie about the social pressures of teens, and especially gay youth.
A definite movie for Gay/Straight Alliances in school, or to watch with your friends.

Rating:
Summary: This movie was Real!
Review: I rented this movie because of the many positive reviews I have seen of it. I must say, I was not disappointed. This is a coming out story that mirrors true life exceptionally well. We have young Steven who is closeted but wants to come out once he meets John who he falls in love with. However; John, who is unwilling to come out for fear of becoming an outcast, wants their relationship to be a secret. I felt for both characters and understand both Steven's and John's predicament. This movie made me realize two things about the world we live in. One is that our society is intolerant of people who are different. The other is fear. Fear is an emotion that's supposedly there to protect us. But it ends up hurting John and so many closeted gay people. Fear isn't always a good thing. As Steven said, in the climax of the film, "What's everybody so afraid of? It's just love.This movie made me realize that for all the things we think we are going to lose when we come out, there is so much more we gain. Homophobia, notwithstanding, being out has much to offer - true happiness.

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Summary: Keep Your Eyes and Your Mind Open for the film
Review: As someone with an open mind toward people who have a different sexual preference than my own I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Ben Silverstone plays Steven Carter, a 16 year old boy stuck between a rock and a hard place. He attends a typical English high school where being gay is about the last thing that he'd want to reveal. But Steven feels a void in his life that is there perhaps due to the fact that only one person knows his secret. His best friend and neighbor, Linda (Charlotte Brittain) keeps his secret while supporting his choice to not tell his parents. She worries about his safety however, because the only place Steven can meet other men like him is in the woods at a mens restroom. One day while in the bathroom Steven is passed a note through a small hole in the stall. He and the author of the note agree to meet outside. Boy is Steven shocked when his new friend turns out to be the high school track star and most beautiful boy, John (Brad Gorton). John and Steven begin an awkward romance, John not quite sure if he is straight or gay and Steven wanting the world to know how happy he is with John. John seems to have real feelings for Steven but is unsure if it is "Okay" to feel this way. Steven has a hard time being shunned by John in public and then adored in private. The end of the movie adds a surprising twist that left me wanting to know what happened to these characters. I highly recommend Get Real to those who are open to the subject matter. The actors did a brilliant job, especially Ben Silverstone.

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Summary: An Emotional Roller Coaster
Review: This movie has it all. The cute young Gay man with his straight female friend that stays by his side, the confused and sometimes brutal bi-sexual young man that supposedly loves him, several heterosexual boys that feel threatened, a Dad that seems dissapointed, and a Mom that's more understanding. All this blends together in a romantic but painful love story that will bring you to tears now and then. I didn't like the ending though. I was expecting more of an ending like that in "Beautiful Thing" or "Big Eden".

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Summary: GREAT COMING OF AGE MOVIE
Review: this movie was fantastic. i absolutely loved it. it was really cool seeing a person already so comfortable with himself and his sexual identity. i didn't really like the aspect fo him meeting men in a public restroom, but that is what some people do it just happens. i also like this movie because of its realistic style. there are so many high school aged people who know that they are gay but dont tell hardly anyone especially their parents. this movie also made the most popular boy in school gay, which is something that is rarely seen. of course no one knows because then he would not be the most popular boy in school. teenagers face pressure from so many angles that it drives them to do crazy things. well steven and john attempt to have a relationship and it seems to go well for a while but then something always happens to mess it up. both seem to have fallen for each other until a school function creates a whole lot of drama. steven is an aspiring writer and submits an article to their newsletter about being gay and gets shot down. people end up finding out about the article and put two and two together about who wrote the letter. people also begin to realize that steven and john have begun spending time together which also leads to more questions. steven submits a different article to a competition and wins, he is then awarded a prize. at this point the most touching part of the movie arrives. he comes out in front of the whole assembly, and he is crying, and the scene is so emotional and heartfelt, that it makes me wish i had courage like his character. the most fantastic line in the movie is when he asks the crowd, "it's only love, what are you all afraid of?" have truer words ever been spoken? i think that that line defines the whole movie and makes it a great movie. it is very realistic and shows how life really is when you are young, gay, scared, confused, but also self-aware. i love this and recommend it to everyone because it is eye opening and honest.

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Summary: Another Beautiful Thing Gets Real
Review: "Get Real" is another delight for viewers, after "Beautiful Thing", and is admired by both general public and gay audience. You will enjoy this film greatly, and will want to watch it over and over again. It is not about hot sex, violence, crime, or drugs - it is about what may be happening next door to you, or even to your own children, or what have happened to you when you were young.

When you are young and learn that you are gay it may be a nightmare, or a serious situation. You have to think about your family first, then about your friends and school-mates. What will they all say when they get to know about you? Certainly, they won't approve - that is what you think. And your school-mates may even beat you seriously, if even not knowing yet they give you no peace with jokes and insults.

With all that you find out that you want to love and be loved. As Steven Carter, the main character, puts it, "Find someone to do it with, find somewhere to do it, and do it. The thing is that at my age it just isn't that simple." Then comes the one you cannot resist, or, rather, the one that cannot resist you: and the story rolls on to its climax.

Steven Carter (played by Ben Silverstone) is 16 years old, attends a school in Basingstoke in the south of England, and happens to be gay. Only his neighbour, Linda (Charlotte Brittain) knows about it. Parents would not be happy, and other schoolchildren, particularly Kevin, already call Steven queer. He is certainly a "secretive" type: never goes out with anyone, doesn't have friends beside Linda and Mark, doesn't go in for sports as other boys his age do. His talent (or at least one of them) is writing, and his article about Millennium Generation wins the local newspaper award.

Then life throws John "Sex-on-Legs" Dixon (Brad Gorton) into Steven's hands. John tries to take himself in hand, but with every encounter with Steven falls more and more in love. Finally, he comes out and the two lads get close. What ensues is a story of difficult relationship between a school outcast and a school heartthrob.

The film might be a bit melodramatic, but our lives are melodramatic. There might be a bit of a fairytale thrown in here and there, but again, fairytales make people feel for their heroes and learn certain lessons. Both "Get Real" and "Beautiful Thing" are sometimes accused of being fairytales. But aren't we read fairytales in our childhood, and don't we learn a lot of good things from them? What is wrong about a fairytale?
There are surely things and words to laugh at, especially when Linda comes to the foreground.

"Get Real" shows how difficult it can be for a teenager to come to grips with the people surrounding him; how important friends' and parents' support might be; what it takes to love another person and fight for your love; how it feels to come out to a whole crowd of people after you've been let down by the beloved one.

The language of "Get Real" is much easier to comprehend than that of "Beautiful Thing": there is less slang, and the accent is closer to the norm (which is especially good for non-British viewers). Only the kissing scenes do not look as real as in "Beautiful Thing", and that is where "Get Real" has its drawback. But we can surely forgive it, as the rest of the movie is beautiful.

Rating:
Summary: Coming Out Is Never Easy
Review: What really caught my eye about this film was that it is about people my own age. I finally rented this film & loved it. I think the cast is great & the accents are amazing. The story is so realistic & I could relate to pretty much everything. There's other movies about coming out & falling in love for the first time being gay, but this one does it in the best way. At one point in the film, everyone seems to be heartbroken. I won't deny that this movie made me cry, and it will probably make you cry too. It's a beautiful story & it ends in a different way than most movies. Let's just say it will leave you wanting more. Make sure you have some tissues nearby! This is, in my opinion, one of the greatest gay teen coming of age stories ever. If you don't see it, you'll be missing out.