Get Over It

What stands out first about Get Over It is the confidence with which Tommy O'Haver establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, Get Over It asks Kirsten Dunst and Ben Foster to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of Get Over It is established with useful clarity: A high school senior's girlfriend breaks up with him. That direct approach lets Get Over It use its 1h 27m running time for character, atmosphere and consequence.

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The directorial personality of Get Over It comes from Tommy O'Haver remaining engaging in bursts but unable to maintain the same control when the premise invites excess. Within Get Over It, Tommy O'Haver repeatedly favours readable choices over attention seeking flourishes. That discipline explains why worthwhile ideas compete with an uneven structure in Get Over It rather than appearing only in isolated scenes. Where Get Over It becomes less convincing, the pace alternates between hurry and drift, and the loss of control is noticeable without becoming fatal.

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Performance is the clearest human asset in Get Over It, beginning with the committed centre provided by Kirsten Dunst. Ben Foster keeps Get Over It from settling into one emotional register by approaching the material from another angle. The presence of Melissa Sagemiller gives the surrounding world of Get Over It additional texture without distracting from the main line. When Tommy O'Haver holds on a reaction, Get Over It communicates more efficiently than another explanatory exchange could manage.

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Get Over It finds its clearest story engine when Kelly comes into conflict with Spending. That engine gives Kirsten Dunst something concrete to pursue and protects Get Over It from empty movement. In the hands of R. Lee Fleming Jr., the central character becomes a useful complication rather than a detached twist within Get Over It. The final use of an important relationship is familiar, but Get Over It has already established enough context for the turn to matter.

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A close look at Get Over It reveals how well judged reactions carries information that the dialogue wisely leaves alone. Under the production banner of Miramax, Get Over It treats well judged reactions as part of its storytelling grammar. Performer rhythm gives Get Over It a stronger sense of place within its United States context. The technical departments of Get Over It remain coordinated, so polish supports involvement instead of creating distance.

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What Get Over It has to say is rooted in embarrassment, status and the gap between confidence and reality. The experience of Kirsten Dunst carries that question through Get Over It without reducing the character to an example. An important relationship helps Get Over It test the theme through consequence instead of explanation. When Tommy O'Haver allows ambiguity to remain, Get Over It becomes more involving than a simple statement of intent.

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For comedy fans who respond to personality and timing, Get Over It is ultimately a qualified recommendation. Its most persuasive combination in Get Over It brings Kirsten Dunst together with performer rhythm under the direction of Tommy O'Haver. The fact that the pace alternates between hurry and drift prevents Get Over It from being entirely seamless. Even with that reservation, Get Over It has a clear point of view and enough genuine feeling to justify the journey.