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Posted on Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008 14:42:32 GMT by: Hal MacDermot
Posted under: movie review comedy drama

Year: 2008
Release date: Unknown
Director: Oliver Irving
Writer: Oliver Irving
IMDB: link
Trailer: link
Review by: cyberhal
Rating: 6.9 out of 10

Oliver Irving's wry British comedy explores the quarter-life crisis of Art (Robert Patterson) a frustrated musician who's completely depressed about his life, and hires a Self-Help specialist, to solve his problems. Produced for around a million quid, "How to Be" is a funny/poignant picture of how truly rubbish it can sometimes be to grow up in middle-class England. The movie won a well-deserved Honorable Mention from the Jury at Slamdance 2008.

The story kicks off with a flashback sequence where we see Art's Dad forcing his son to throw all his "macho" toys into a fire in the garden. No wonder the kid's traumatized. In the next scene we're back in the present, and twenty-something Art is strumming on an acoustic guitar and singing "Choking on the Dust" to a bored pub audience. Three minutes in and I'm sold.



Things don't get better for Art. His girlfriend Jessica (Alisa Arnah) dumps him and he's forced to move back in with his unwelcoming parents. Rebecca Pidgeon (an actress who's popular with Mamet) and Michael Irving give great performances as Art's icy folks. It seems all he can do is disappoint them, and everyone else. Including the home for the mentally retarded where he attempts to hold down a job. The scariest character is the Dad - Father to Son: "Your existence is an oxymoron." Dude. One day, Art reads a Self Help book by a Dr. Ellington (Powell Jones) and is inspired. In a brilliant twist, Art spends his inheritance money to bring the dapper old gent over from Canada and be his personal counselor.



Despite his parents' hostility, Art and the good Dr. get busy and apply the lessons of the Self Help book to improve family life. With mixed results. These are some of the funniest moments, with Powell as the smiling and super calm guru, ever present. In the morning, at the breakfast table and at night, he sleeps in Art's bedroom. He shows up when Art talks to his ex-girlfriend (who is peeing in the kiddy loo in the kindergarten she works at). He even shows up to comment in the funny-painful moment when Art literally climbs into bed with his parents to get closer to them.



Art also hangs out with his friends, one a drug friendly computer geek, the other a cool playa. They form a band. I thought the scenes with his mates were funny, but not as strong. The guys don't entirely gel. Ronny's agoraphobia seems to be cured the minute his friends drag him out the house and down the pub. Also, if music is the passion in Art's soul, I found him a bit passive in his musical decisions. It's really his mate Ronny who takes the active role in forcing him to play more.



Music is important to this story so luckily, the sound track is strong. The music for Art and his band varies from folkish to indie/electronic, and it was composed specifically for the movie by Joe Hastings and Johnny White. The more confident Art becomes, the more powerful his music, which is perfect. Elsewhere we're treated to anything from Captain Beefheart to Beethoven.



The shooting style was intimate, which works for a story focused on depression and emotions. I liked the absence of strong colors as it reflects Art's depressed state. But the cinematography was not as strong as the story. A few of the night scenes and interiors felt badly underlit. Also, when you only have a limited budget, it helps to get more creative with the shots.

Robert Patterson's performance is strong, and yes it's true, he did play Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005). His next flick, currently in production, is called "Twilight" and involves Vampires. Definitely a bloke to keep your eye on. "How to Be" is not currently available on DVD, but I hear they're working hard on it.

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