By Hollywood.com Staff
Story
Berke, a high school basketball star, with big expectations for his senior year, gets a shock when his sweetheart, Allison (Melissa Sagemiller), dumps him right before classes begin to take up with Striker (
Shane West), the new campus stud. Berke becomes desperate over losing Allison, and will do just about anything to win her back. He decides to quit the basketball team and join Allison and Striker in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by drama teacher extraordinaire, Dr. Desmond Forrest Oakes (a hilarious
Martin Short), who writes 12 original songs for the production. Berke just wants to weave himself back into her life -- that is, if he can make it past auditions. So what if he can't sing? He's going to need a little help from the right person, Kelly (
Kirsten Dunst), his best friend's little sister who is now all grown up. Seems Berke needs to realize what he already has.
Acting
The youthful cast sparkles in this surprisingly amusing film, without lapsing into the usual teen fare.
Foster (Liberty Heights), coming from a serious of geeky roles in TV series such as Freaks and Geeks and the Disney Channel's Flash Forward, has certainly grown up into a fine comic actor. Of course, the highlights are
Short's hysterical turn as the drama teacher (a pattern
Short seems to be following in his career - bit parts that accentuate his tremendous comic abilities) and
Swoosie Kurtz and
Ed Begley Jr. as Berke's new-age parents. Hip-hop singer Sisqo plays his good friend (enough said), while
Dunst continues playing the simple, sweet, girl-next-door type, which must be getting boring for her. We'd like to see her give more gritty or even melancholy performances, such as the one she gave in last year's The Virgin Suicides.
Direction
Get Over It was not pre-screened for U.S. critics, which usually indicates a studio's nervousness that the film is not up to par. However, in this case, Miramax may have been misguided. Although far from winning any awards, it is a refreshing change of pace from the dredge being released lately. Even if the film comes off a tad frothy, it actually balances a free-spirited sensibility with discipline. Adding elements from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream doesn't hurt either. When the quartet (Berke, Kelly, Allison and Striker) begin halfway through production to let art imitate life, first-time director
Tommy O'Haver choreographs their movements with humor and high spirits.