Ben Silverstone and Charlotte Brittain in "Get Real."

MOVIE INFORMATION

With 10 as a must-see, Jack gives this film a: Stars: Ben Silverstone, Brad Gorton and Charlotte Brittain Director: Simon Shore Rated: R, with profanity and strong sex themes Length: 110 minutes

ROCHESTERCRITIQUE

Having seen this film, how would you rate it? 10 5 9 4 8 3 7 2 6 1

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(June 25, 1999) -- Coming of age can be painful -- even more so when it means coming out of the closet.

That's the dilemma facing a 16-year-old boy in Get Real, an appealing new British film about the budding, frustrating love life of a gay teenager.

Steven Carter (Ben Silverstone) has long been among the outsiders at his high school, looked upon as a geek by the handsome school jocks and their girlfriends.

They have no idea he's gay; that's a secret he shares with his only friend, the chubby, equally unpopular Linda (Charlotte Brittain).

Steven's parents assume he's delayed after school by special research projects and other class functions. They have no idea he's hanging out around a public men's restroom at a nearby park.

Linda warns him of the dangers of hanging out in such a place, but he says he's in love. Get real, indeed. Fortunately, circumstances soon force him away from his public john habit, with nothing destroyed but his illusions.

Meanwhile, Steven lusts from afar after the school's most handsome soccer star, John Dixon (Brad Gorton), and is thrilled when he's assigned to photograph Dixon for the school paper.

Steven's good fortune gets much better. It seems Dixon also harbors a secret -- one he's determined to keep. He, too, is gay.

Before long, Steven and John are sharing blissful weekends. But John sweats constantly about keeping his secret from his macho, homophobic teammates. Ultimately, each boy has to decide whether he's willing to go public.

Get Real has been adapted by Patrick Wilde from his play, What's Wrong With Angry, and sensitively directed by Simon Shore. They're careful to balance the story's angst with welcome bits of humor, particularly from the perceptive, wise-cracking Linda.

Get Real is both simplistic and idealistic, by small degrees, but it admirably captures the frustrations and insecurities of being a teenager who's also gay.

Silverstone perfectly conveys Steven's fears, desires and sometimes naive hopes, along with his growing determination to proclaim his identity.

Brad Gorton is effective as Dixon, the handsome object of desire. And Brittain is full of witty bravado as Linda, a young woman confronting her own issues of self-worth.