Freddie Highmore’s breakthrough performances in Finding Neverland and Charlie And The Chocolate Factory were a blend of Hayley Joel Osmond and Mara Wilson, the child star of Mrs. Doubtfire and Miracle On 34th Street who disappeared without a trace. Cute, impressive but over-eager, Highmore’s appeal was clear, but his longevity was not. But in Gavin Wiesen’s indie romance The Art of Getting By, Highmore shines, because this time he’s not acting precociously, but playing precocious, and he’s brilliant.
Dry, funny and obnoxious, high-school senior George is a Wes Anderson clone with a dash of Say Anything’s Llyod Dobler. Masterfully adopting the affectation of being disaffected, he quotes fatalistic philosophies with ease and wears a black overcoat like a trophy of his outsider status. But when he gets a crush on the beautiful but aloof Sally (Emma Roberts), George quickly learns that his inert acceptance of the imagined inevitable may be great for emulating Holden Caulfield, but it doesn’t exactly get the girl.

Like a teenage (500) Days of Summer, The Art of Getting By’s highlights the often pathetic games played by both the victims and objects of unrequited love. As Sally, Roberts is impressive, highlighting the unintentionally cruel and unusual ways teenage girls can inflict pain on those around them in their quest for that ever-elusive validation. Sally may or may not love George, but she certainly loves the power she holds over him. A scene where she nonchalantly suggests she and George sleep together before even more casually rescinding the offer is exceptionally painful, as Highmore radiates jubilant hope and crushing despair seemingly without moving.

But therein lies the problem of Gavin Wiesen’s film. Like George, its implied passion and depth of emotion remains frustratingly unexpressed. There’s little dramatic thrust to the plot, and for a film with nothing new to say, there’s not enough spark to the dialogue to make the conversation seem fresh, leaving its subject matter hanging impotently in the air as Wiesen, like George, struggles to find focus. Though gorgeously shot and wistfully scored, The Art of Getting By proves to be like a teenage crush – undeniably heartfelt, but destined to be become a vague memory of something ultimately inconsequential.