Get Over It

For the week leading up to Valentine's Day I went scavenged through RazorFine's database and collected a few Valentine's Week posts and reviews for the week. Here's my review for Get Over It, for more daily V-Day posts head here.

Ah…teenage love and loss. When Ben is dumped by his girlfriend he’ll do whatever it takes to win her back including signing up for the high school play - “Midsummer Nights Dream - The Musical” directed by Martin Short! A funny teen comedy; think that’s an oxymoron? Well think again…

Ever been dumped and are unwilling to let the other person go? Get Over It tells the story of a guy who loses his girl and will do anything to get her back even making a complete jackass of himself by singing outside her window and joining the school play not even noticing that maybe the one helping him, his friend’s little sister, just might be a better match for him.

Berke Landers (Ben Foster) has just been dumped by his longtime girlfriend Allison (Melissa Sagemiller), which is followed by one of the best opening credit sequences in recent movie history.

Berke doesn’t take the rejection well and becomes even more determined to get his girl back after he sees Striker (Shane West), a one-time boy band teen heart-throb, putting the moves on Allison.

When they both try out for the school play Berke enlists the help of Kelly (Kirsten Dunst), the younger sister of his best friend Felix (Colin Hanks). As Kelly spends most of the movie helping, and crushing over, Berke, Felix spends most of the movie trying to get Berke past Allison, including setting him up with the class klutz (Kylie Bax), a guys night out at a local strip club (with a cameo from Carmen Electra), and a party thrown in Berke’s home.

Of course all of Felix’s good intentions end in disaster.

The movie is a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and besides the hilarious musical version performed on stage directed by Dr. Desmond Forrest Oates (played to the hilt by Martin Short), we also get Berke’s dream sequences that take place in that world. Other stories include Berke’s friend Dennis (Sisqo) and his infatuation with Kelly’s friend Basin (Mila Kunis) and the rather lax parenting style of Berke’s parents (Ed Begley Jr. and Swoosie Kurtz).

Okay, the film’s not Shakespeare but it’s a darn good time. I enjoy the fact that the main actors that are cast (Foster, Sagemiller, Hanks, Kunis, and Dunst) look like high school students and not Noxema models. Also fun is how well the story plays on Shakespeare’s theme while making the story it’s own. Up and down the cast is outstanding, even Sisqo - who’s thankfully given a very small role.

It’s a fun little romantic teen comedy that has no business being as entertaining as it is. The movie’s helped out by wonderful supporting performances, especially by Martin Short, and one of the worst ideas for a high school musical ever, and the DVD has some nice extras make it worth checking out. If you enjoy teen romantic comedies or just have to see what “Midsummer Night’s Dream - The Musical” would look like performed by high school students then go grab a copy on DVD.