Get Real (1998)

Director:

Simon Shore

Writers:

Patrick Wilde (play)
Patrick Wilde (screenplay)

Release Date:

30 April 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

School's out, so is Steven Carter

Plot:

A tenderly romantic coming-of-age story as two boys in a British school fall in love.

Plot Keywords:

School | Coming Out | Writing Contest | Driving Instructor | Changing Room

Awards:

6 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Ben Silverstone	...	Steven Carter
Brad Gorton	...	John Dixon
Charlotte Brittain	...	Linda
Stacy Hart	...	Jessica (as Stacy A. Hart)
Kate McEnery	...	Wendy
Patrick Nielsen	...	Mark
Tim Harris	...	Kevin
James D. White	...	Dave
James Perkins	...	Young Steve
Nicholas Hunter	...	Young Mark
Jacquetta May	...	Steven's Mother
David Lumsden	...	Steven's Father
David Elliot	...	Glen
Morgan Jones	...	Linda's Brother
Richard Hawley	...	English Teacher

MPAA:

Rated R for language and sexual content.

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | France:U | New Zealand:M | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:R | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Basingstoke, Hampshire, England, UK

Company:

Arts Council of England

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene in the school newspaper office, when Mark discovers the anonymous article "Get Real", he reads aloud from the article: "The assumption that your children are heterosexual may be causing them pain." The close-up on the computer screen shows that sentence as: "The assumption that your children are heterosexual may be destroying their lives."

Quotes:

[first lines]
Steven Carter: I came late to sex. I was nearly ten. That's when my friend Mark Watkins told me how babies were made.
Young Steve: Really? Are you sure?
Young Mark: Yeah. Honest. I saw it on one of my dad's videos.
Steven Carter: For over a year after that I thought babies were made when two women tied a man to a bed and covered his willy with ice cream.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Another Gay Movie (2006)

Soundtrack:

Misunderstood

One of the best.

I'm not biased or anything (being gay myself) but gay themed movies always seem to be better than most of the standard Hollywood fare that's churned out year after year. Gay themed films always seem more uplifting and fun to watch, and always stay with me long after I've watched them. Beautiful Thing, Stonewall, Grief, Priscilla, and now Get Real, one of the best films (gay or not) that I've seen in ages.

Get Real is brilliant on so many levels. Firstly, it's a film that's realistic. It paints a picture that doesn't necessarily have a happy ending but still leaves you with a warm feeling inside. It's not apologetic, and shows some of the not always appealing aspects of gay life (cottaging, vicious gay-bashing, etc). But it transports you into it's charming world of first love and that feeling you get once you become infatuated with someone.

The cast of Get Real are amazing. Ben Silverstone is a genuine star as Steven, pulling off the right mixture of pride and confusion excellently. Brad Gorton is equally good as John, making you genuinely believe he is a confused soul in a confused world. Charlotte Brittain is fabulous as Linda, and the rest of the cast are all perfect in their roles.

Get Real is funny, moving and totally engrossing. A perfect movie for anyone who remembers their first crush, in fact, a perfect movie for any occasion. Quite simply, perfect.