Rating: 
Summary: VERY real
Review: No wonder this film has prompted so many positive appraisals. The cast is perfect and comely. The story is gritty, witty, funny, touching, and true. It's about being in the closet (whether you're married or just in high school), and the painful process of deciding to come out -- or not. Steve (Ben Silverstone) knows he's gay but, isolated by his feelings, only has secretive, anonymous sex. Johnny (Brad Gorton) is the handsome high-school hero headed for Oxford. He is paralyzed by fear and loneliness, being so deeply in the closet. They accidentally hook up in a public bathroom and, despite Johnny's misgivings, eventually get together. Their moments of private happiness -- understated, gentle, and sweet -- are among the loveliest on screen. Affectionate and comfortable when they are alone, the jock is also terrified that their 'secret' will come out, and he has a very hard time dealing with Steve's gradual emergence from hiding. One hopes for their union but can, at the same time, see the fall coming. Johnny is ultimately a coward, his heroics on the sports field notwithstanding. The straight men, in general, do not come off at all well. Steve's father is withdrawn and unsupportive, though we are given to believe that he will come around. The high school boys are, without exception, mindless jerks. Certainly, Pre-Stonewall, Steve could never have 'come out' on film, much less at his high school awards ceremony! But, that having been said, it is apparently just as dangerous and terrifying for young people now -- in a still-repressed, still-suppressed, and violently homophobic society -- as it ever has been. That is the sad message of this film, along with the one of hope for Steve.
Rating: 
Summary: Sexy, Sweet...and down to Earth
Review: Too often gay-themed films are relagated to midnight showings at college theaters. This was the case with Get Real. So you are forced to wait for the video or DVD to come out. Fortunately these films get released fairly quickly. There have been a fair amount of coming out flicks during the last few years. Some may be better than others but at least they are films that speak to those of us who are gay. Get Real is a charming, clever, reality based story with good performances and witty writing. It makes a solid statement for the importance of defending your right to be who you are. The sex is somewhat subdued which lets the real emotional needs of its two young men come to the fore. As a more mature man it would be nice to see more films about people who are already out and living fulfilling gay lives. I mean, you only come out once, and though handsome young men with tears rolling down their cheeks have undeniable appeal, I am always left wondering what happens to those characters after they emerge from their closet. Still, it is an emotionally satisfying film that most gays will love. Those in the closet will no doubt gain insight and courage from these revelations. Hey, there might even be a few straight people out there who will enjoy it. I did.
Rating:
Summary: I can't stop watching!
Review: I missed seeing the film in the theaters. So, I waited for the video release. Rented it, LOVED it, bought the DVD. Now I can't stop watching it. You have to know a little something of Brit slang - but that just adds to my enjoyment of this fantastic movie. It's hard to describe the feelings that this film brings up from deep inside. My new all-time favorite.
Rating:
Summary: get real
Review: This was a really good movie! It has a lively story line that that never leaves you board, but what was really great was the cemistry between the people. The characters were very well writen and you really feel for them. This is not just a some good gay movie; it is a wonderful story about love and acceptance.
Rating:
Summary: GET REAListic about gay love
Review: Get Real is one of the best films I have seen this year. It is wonderfully directed, and the acting is superb. The admixture of comedy and poignant realism treats a subject that is never approached in a hackneyed manner. The young loves of the gays and the straights in the film make an interesting counterpoint against each other. And then there is the creative treatment of the young gay who early on accepts his homosexuality juxtaposed against the young man who typically cannot accept his, and who then resists, also typically, coming to terms with it. The film reminded me only too well of the ambivalent feelings I had in my youth when I, too, had to come to terms with being gay. I, like Jon, tried everything to avoid facing reality. But unlike Jon, I eventually came to embrace my homosexuality in the manner that Steve does. But what a road trip that was! The film immediately reminded me of some of the many encounters and passions I had long since forgotten -- or so I thought.This British production is able to delve into this subject in a manner more honest than most American productions would. No prurient sex scenes, but no Puritan preaching either. Nothing shocking here, except a budding love affair between two very young, and very inexperienced men. This film does cover a now all too familiar subject, but it does it in a fresh new way. And you won't be disappointed by the music either. Extremely entertaining, superbly crafted, highly recommended. If it had not been so late when I first watched it, I would have sat through it again.
Rating:
Summary: Really Got it Real
Review: The most poignant love story since "Another Country" even without Rupert and Cary. Ben Silverstein was absolutely brilliant and most importantly, "REAL". This is a dvd which has to be sent to every closet case you know in order to give them the courage to be themselves.
Rating:
Summary: Much significance for me.
Review: I purchased Get Real from Amazon and it was the first movie that I could ever really relate to. Watching the film had significance for me, and the soundtrack reminds me of all my favorite scenes. If you were thinking about buying this movie because you read a review, buy it. The target audience is adolescents and young adults who have struggled with the coming out process or similar issues. If you like the movie, the soundtrack illustrates the film beautifully. Hey you.....just buy the movie.....you won't regret it. It was the best purchase I have made in a long time. As an anonymous reviewer, I guarantee it.
Rating:
Summary: Why This Is Tops: Tough Subject Meets Talented Director!
Review: Tense touchy topic meets a superb director's skills. The result, IMHO, the best-dramatized film of gay youth among the dozen existing. All controversial issues have potential drama in them--conflict, action, suspense. But only the best novel writers or film directors employ the potential to create work we don't just watch, we experience. So here. British highschooler Steven Carter is gay, meets "questioning" athletic classmate, gets involved, but Steve's secretive at home, dad is puzzled, mom gradually puts pieces together, and then that anonymous article on being gay submitted to the school paper, who write it, how will Steve's would-be girlfriend react to his coming out to her, etc..... But that's just plot. Average artists just report plot, superior directors recreate the dramatic tensions of it. Sure, homosexuality is laden with drama if any subject is. (For Example: am I or am I not.....to come out or not.....is he or isn't he....."but he's getting married!".....duplicity: who knows, who doesn't, who suspects but do they really.....I'm out to him but not to them....the powder-keg atmosphere, will the straight athletes explode with fear? the tragicomedy of errors, "didn't Steve say he stayed overnight at YOUR house last night, and if not, where...."Etc.) All good grist for the mill. But only a superior writer/director mines this raw material to create, not just to claim, real experience. 9 out of 10 films don't do as well as here. "Beautiful Thing" remains good, but.....! So many audience can enjoy this. (1) "Crossovers." Straight peers and parents. It's less didactic, more engrossing, than "Trevor." And because it doesn't discuss, but actually re-creates, the pain and the unfairness and the fear and the joy and the isolation, the film is worth 10 brochures. (2) All students of artistry--see how it's done, how skill translates emotions onto the screen. (3) Anyone who loves well-done art. Which was surely me. Which might be you too. You go and see now. All the way thru to the film's slam-bang crescendo finale. Why not? Get reel!
Rating:
Summary: Sex On Legs
Review: For a while, it seemed like every time my friends and I rented a movie, there would be a preview for Get Real. And every time we'd say "That looks like a really good movie!" So we finally rented it and it turned out to be even better than it looked. This movie has great writing, great acting, and real heart. It's adorable and witty but not overdone. Silverstone and Gorton are wonderful (not to mention really cute), and I'm looking forward to their future movies. I highly, highly recommend this movie for the simple reason that it's absolutely fantastic.
Rating:
Summary: Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh What a Feelin'
Review: This movie was definitely much more than a "Beautiful Thing" for me! Don't get me wrong, I loved "Beautiful Thing", but this was different.....closer to the "Real" thing. In my opinion, the writing, direction and acting were outstanding. I am extremely PROUD to have this DVD in my collection!
|
